A New Path
by Ookima
Summary: Naruto used to be able to stand it all, the cold stares and being called demon, until the one person he trusted most, betrayed him. With only hate in his heart, Naruto makes a decision that will forever change his life and those around him. GaaraNaruGaara
1. Reality

__   
  
**_A big THANK YOU to my new BETA READER! Thanks to you people will stop whinning about my grammar mistakes and stuff like that. Plus with your little additions, you make the story even more into a masterpiece!  
  
_Thanks Okibi!**  
  
---------------------  
  
A New Path  
  
Chapter 1 : Reality  
  
**Synopsis **: Naruto used to be able to stand it all, until the one person he trusted most, betrayed him. With only hate in his heart, Naruto makes a decision that will forever change his life and those around him.  
  
---------------------  
  
**Pairings** : Main pairing will be Gaara x Naruto. A little bit of Sasuke x Naruto, along with maybe Kakashi x Iruka  
  
---------------------  
  
_**WARNING**_ : Contains **_Yaoi,_** in other words boy loves boy, don't like then don't read  
  
---------------------  
  
**_Disclaimer_** : I do not own Naruto, but if I did there would definately be more shonen in it ()grins evily()  
  
---------------------  
  
**Timeline** :  
  
- This takes place after the Chuunin exam, although, Sasuke never went to join Orochimaru.  
  
- Also, the fight between Sasuke and Naruto on the Hospital roof did occur.  
  
- Important to have read up to Volume 20 of the manga Naruto  
  
---------------------  
  
**Jutsu List**  
  
- **Sharingan** : A pupil born technique, which allows the user to do to a large number of things. The Sharingan's first and most well known ability - is to memorize any technique that it is a witness to - as well as register the movements of opponents. Second, it is able to hypnotize the opponent, giving an advantage to the user. It can also suggest movements to the hypnotized brain, and 'see through; any illusionary techniques. Although it is a power jutsu, it absorbs chakra. The power of the Sharingan is judged through the amount of dots in the persons eye  
  
---------------------  
  
**Japanese Words**  
  
- baka = idiot -  
  
- dobe = dead last -  
  
- naruhodo = I see -  
  
- sayonara = farewell –  
  
---------------------  
  
"Speech"  
  
_'Thoughts' will be in italic_

_****_

_**Change of place will be in bold**_

**__**   
  
---- Example ---- This means a change of area within the same place.========================================================================  
  
==== ======================  
  
On the training grounds, three students waited for their teacher once more, but the mood in the air was thick, and tense. Sasuke and Naruto stayed away from each other and Sakura found herself worrying if the event on the hospital roof would happen again.  
  
---Poof---  
  
"Yo, I'm sorry for being late, this young lady lost her make-up and--" Kakashi started to explain.  
  
"LIAR!" Yelled out both Naruto and Sakura, pointing their fingers at him.  
  
"Aren't we energetic today?" Kakashi mused, fingering through his latest volume of Icha Icha Paradise.  
  
"What's our mission?" Sasuke tersely asked. He wasn't in the mood for delays.  
  
"We don't have one." Kakashi replied quickly.  
  
"NANI?!" Naruto shrieked, outraged. All this time spent waiting, and no mission?!  
  
"Due to the lack of teamwork lately, the new Hokage agreed to delay any missions for now." Kakashi informed his student, disappointment shining in his visible eye.  
  
"The old hag said that!?" Naruto asked, too angry to be ashamed.  
  
"For the last time, stop calling her that, Naruto." Kakashi scolded, frowning.  
  
Naruto rubbed the back of his head as he gave a wide smile to his sensei, unabashed.  
  
"If there are no missions I'm leaving." Sasuke gritted out as he moved to walk away.  
  
"Sasuke, I never said you could go home." Kakashi drawled.  
  
"Training, I usually don't mind, but don't expect me to do so with that loser." Sasuke replied as he turned around to face his sensei, glaring venomously at Naruto. The blond clenched his fists on the last word Sasuke placed in his phrase.  
  
"I'm not a loser, you bastard!" Naruto shot back at his rival.  
  
"You're not even worth my effort anymore, you moron," Sasuke sneered with a cold stare.  
  
"Care to repeat that?" Naruto asked in what he thought was a menacing voice, but it came out as a petulant huff.  
  
"You're not even worth my time. You. Moron." Sasuke drawled, repeating the words slowly, as if to a small child. "There, you got what you wanted. Happy?"  
  
Naruto lost his already rapidly diminishing patience and charged towards Sasuke, fists raised. Sakura was stunned, remembering the event on the hospital roof.  
  
Using his Sharingan, Sasuke easily countered every punch and evaded every kick Naruto tried to land on him. Kakashi waited on the sidelines, to see if something good could come out of it.  
  
After a little while, Sasuke landed a blow to Naruto's stomach, as the boy fell to his knees. Sasuke above of Naruto with a frosty stare as Naruto tried to catch his breath, hand over stomach.  
  
"I think that's enough for today, boys." Kakashi said, placing a warning hand on Sasuke's shoulder.  
  
"Wasn't even worth my effort." Sasuke sneered again, as he started to walk away.  
  
"What the hell is wrong with you, bastard?!" Naruto yelled after him, slowly getting to his feet.  
  
"Time for you to wake up, moron. You really think you can become Hokage the way you are? You're shit. You're below shit. You're not worthy to be called a ninja!" Sasuke snarled, even as Sakura and Kakashi interrupted.  
  
"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura gasped, shocked.  
  
"Sasuke, that's enough." Kakashi warned, voice low and even. The boy shrugged Kakashi's hand off his shoulder as he took a step forward and looked straight into Naruto's eyes.  
  
"The only reason you made it this far is sheer luck, and the fact that I have been there to pull you ass out of the fire. Sorry to shatter your dream, you dimwit. To be Hokage, you must be the best, and you are truly the worst shinobi I've ever seen. Quit, make a smart decision, for once in your life." Sasuke growled to the blonde, his tone and expression icy.  
  
Naruto looked too infuriated for words, glaring murderously at Sasuke as he stood up and turned his back to Sasuke as he spoke, thinly veiled rage behind each proud word.  
  
"I never give up, and you think I'm about to start because of what a bastard like you just said? Ha!" Naruto snorted, walking away. Sasuke's next words, however, stopped him cold.  
  
"Maybe that's the reason your parents dumped you in a ditch to begin with. Because they knew what a failure you'd be, and they wanted nothing to with it! Wanted nothing to do with the... thing... they'd spawned." Sasuke bit out, cruel smirk on his face.  
  
Naruto stood, frozen, his back to them all.  
  
Sakura and Kakashi were stunned by the transformation of Sasuke, and the baseless hatred in his eyes.  
  
"Y-you didn't mean that, right? Right, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked, unsure, with tears in her eyes. How was this Sasuke?  
  
"I'm just bringing that dobe back down to what normal people call reality," Sasuke replied, smirk never leaving his face.  
  
"Naruhodo ..." Naruto said, unfreezing, continuing to walk away. His voice betrayed nothing, but his stride was stiff, and jerked slightly.  
  
As Naruto slowly vanished from sight, Sakura seemed unsure of what to do, so she walked home, deep in thought. Kakashi stared at his dark-haired student, face unreadable.  
  
_'Things seem to have gotten bad...'_ Kakashi thought to himself, _'And this it's going to get worse, before it gets better... If it's going to get better...'_ Those dark thoughts going through his head, he left the training grounds.  
  
_'He... didn't come back for a fight?'_ Sasuke thought, bemused. Heaving a perplexed sigh, he too, left for home.  
  
========================================================================  
  
==== ======================  
  
**Konoha Streets**  
  
Walking towards his house, Naruto received the usual cold stare from the village adults. He was use to it, but with what happened a few minutes ago, it was irritating, hurting, him worse than ever. Between the adults, whispers could be heard, as Naruto stopped walking and gave them a very frigid glare.  
  
"We're not scared of you, Demon!" Some face in the crowd spat, the other nodding.  
  
"Maybe you should start to be," Naruto drawled, clenching his fists.  
  
"A threat? You're in no place to, Demon. We could easily kill you, right where you stand!" One villager shouted.  
  
"You should have killed each other, a fight between demons, then life would be more enjoyable. A world without you, or that creature of the sand. Two demons dead, but no humans!" Another agreed, snickering nastily. They began to shout among themselves, voices clashing.  
  
"Whatever." Naruto replied tonelessly walking into his apartment and slamming the door.  
  
========================================================================  
  
==== ======================  
  
**Inside Naruto's Apartment**  
  
Naruto looked at himself in the mirror, pouring water over his face, to try and physically cool himself down. He stared at himself for a long time, until his fist suddenly connected with the mirror and shattered into pieces. Punching the glass, Naruto had several cuts on his hand, and he watched as they started to heal.  
  
"Even if I wanted to die, with him inside me, it couldn't happen." Naruto said bitterly, collapsing onto the bed.  
  
Naruto stared at his ceiling for several hours as the words Sasuke said to him earlier repeated in his head over and over, like a twisted mantra. Naruto looked over his shoulder to his night-stand, the clock reading midnight already.  
  
"Why do I keep doing this? After all, the only one who ever cared was Iruka- sensei, but even then, he's never around. Loneliness is all I've ever known... The only time I didn't feel alone was when I met him..." He said, his voice dropping to a whisper. "Gaara of the Sand..." Naruto mumbled to himself.  
  
He sat up on at the end of his bed, looking at his hands.  
  
"Maybe... maybe it's time for Uzumaki Naruto to listen to what the others say." Naruto muttered as he ripped the necklace that Tsunade-baba had given to him off his neck.  
  
Naruto stood up as he threw it onto the bed. He grabbed his backpack, and as quickly as possible filled it up with some clothes, a few scrolls, kunais, and shurikens. After half an hour of packing, Naruto took one last glance at his apartment. He felt a weight on his head, and remembered that he was still wearing the Konoha forehead protector. Naruto untied it and looked carefully at it. He smiled mirthlessly.  
  
"I was so proud of myself when I got this, but in the end, it's only a meaningless piece of metal and cloth." Naruto spat in disgust, throwing it to the ground.  
  
Naruto hefted his backpack and shut the lights, leaving his apartment.  
  
========================================================================  
  
==== ======================  
  
**Konoha's entrance gate**  
  
Naruto had reached without any trouble the gates that led out of the Village. As Naruto prepared to walked through them, two Ninjas stepped before him, blocking his way.  
  
"And where do you think you're going?" A tall ninja demanded.  
  
"Away from this forsaken village" Naruto answered coldly, glaring.  
  
"Do you have papers showing you have the right to?" Asked the second ninja.  
  
"Hai. Right behind you." Naruto answered as he pointed past ninjas.  
  
Both Ninjas looked at each other not understanding the boy answer. They turned around to see two more Narutos and both simultaneously lashed out, kicking the ninjas in the stomach hard, so they would lose consciousness.  
  
"I never thought that they would actually stop this demon from leaving their Village." Naruto thought aloud, snorting in amusement. His two clones dissipated into smoke as Naruto finally crossed the gates and entered the forest.  
  
"Sayonara, to everyone, and to my past," Naruto smiled wistfully as he walked towards the forest.  
  
Naruto entered the forest with only one thought in mind. He wanted to start a new life, where he wouldn't be stared at and associated with Kyuubi.  
  
"My past has now been buried, and my new life begins now," Naruto said solemnly as he looked at the great trees surrounding him.  
  
That night, Naruto put behind him the village that tormented him since he was born, along with the people he believed at one time were his friends. He needed to forget them. Most of all, he needed to forget the one person that had hurt him the most.  
  
Uchiha Sasuke.  
  
As he walked through the darkness of the forest, Naruto never looked back, and he vanished within the shadows.  
  
TBC?  
  
========================================================================  
  
==== ======================  
  
Well I had this idea in my head for a while and decided to write it down, even though I have like 3 fics already to update weekly lol. Oh well I hope you people will like this because it will get better.  
  
I know maybe Sasuke was a bit OOC and sorry about that, but I had to find a way for Naruto to finally leave the Village and start a new life.  
  
This fic will have very soon Naruto x Gaara, since they will be my main pairing in this one. I haven't seen so many on this pairing so I'm giving it a shot, so please be nice to me!!!  
  
---------------------  
  
**Next Chapter** : Lost and Found  
  
Konoha Village realizes that Naruto is gone! And in the forest, Naruto meets someone unexpected.  
  
---------------------  
  
Please Read and **REVIEW**  
  
The more REVIEWS I get the more likely I'll write a next chapter sooner, sicne I'm concentrating on my other three fics first  
  
Ookima 


	2. Lost and Found

A New Path Chapter 2 : Lost and Found  
  
Synopsis : Konoha Village realizes that Naruto is gone! And in the forest, Naruto meets someone unexpected.  
  
Pairings : Main pairing will be Gaara x Naruto. A little bit of Sasuke x Naruto, along with maybe Kakashi x Iruka  
  
Disclaimer : I don't own Naruto but wish I did  
  
Important note : Contains shonen-ai, in other words boy loves boy, don't like then don't read  
  
Extra Information :  
  
- This takes place after the Chuunin exam, although, Sasuke never went to join Orochimaru.  
  
- Also, the fight between Sasuke and Naruto on the Hospital roof did occur.  
  
- Important to have read up to Volume 20 of the manga Naruto  
  
- Sabaku kyuu - ( Desert Coffin ) Part of the sand demon techniques. Uses sand to cover the opponents entire body. Is uses to stop an opponents movement, or cause suffocation.  
  
- Sabaku SouSou - ( Desert Graveyard ) Sand enwrapping the enemy is pushed inward, through the use of Chakra(controlling the air and sand). The inward movement crushes anything trapped inside.  
  
- baka = idiot -  
  
- dobe = dead last -  
  
- naruhodo = I see -  
  
- Chikushou = damn / dammit -  
  
- naze = why -  
  
- hai - yes / yeah -  
  
============================================================================ ==========  
  
Naruto entered the forest with only one thought in mind. He wanted to start a new life, where he wouldn't be stared at and associated with Kyubi.  
  
"My past now buried, and my new life begins now" Naruto said as he looked at the great trees surrounding him  
  
That night, Naruto put behind the Village that tormented him since he was born, along with the people he believed at one time were his friends. And most of all, to forget the one person he that had hurt him the most. Uchiha Sasuke.  
  
As he walked into the darkness of the forest, Naruto never looked back, not even once, as he vanished within the shadows.  
  
============================================================================ ======================  
  
*The Next Morning*  
  
The two Ninjas that Naruto had knocked unconscious had started to wake up, as their replacements had arrived.  
  
"What happened?" The tall ninja demanded  
  
"A young ninja fled the Village." The other ninja replied  
  
"You must advise Hokage immediately of this." The tall ninja commented  
  
Both ninjas that had been knocked unconscious stood on their feet as they headed towards Tsunade's house.  
  
============================================================================ ======================  
  
*Naruto's Apartment*  
  
Iruka knocked on Naruto's door for now 5 minutes without any answer.  
  
"That idiot must still be sleeping" Iruka thought  
  
He then opened the door as he remembered Naruto had a habit to never lock it. The moment he stepped inside, a strange feeling surfaced.  
  
"Naruto you idiot! You were suppose to meet me this morning" Iruka made his way to Naruto's room  
  
The moment when he opened the door to his bedroom, he spotted the mess it was in. Naruto's clothes were all over the place as Iruka's attention turned towards the bed.  
  
"Why would Naruto leave the necklace that Tsunade gave him?" Iruka asked himself as he returned to the kitchen  
  
Iraku took the item in question, as he exited the room.  
  
As he walked, he stepped on something, which made him slip and fall straight on his back.  
  
"Itai ..." Iruka mumbled as he managed to sit up and look at what he stepped on  
  
He leaned forward to grab the object he just stepped on as his eyes widened.  
  
"Naruto would never leave this lying on the floor. What the hell happened here?" Iruka asked himself as he stood up  
  
He then carefully looked around, for more clues but found none.  
  
To this point, Iruka only thought of one thing, to go meet Kakashi to the training grounds, maybe he had some information which Iruka didn't.  
  
============================================================================ ======================  
  
*Training Grounds*  
  
Sasuke and Sakura stood still and waited for their sensei to come as usual. Sakura was a bit worried since Naruto hadn't yet arrived as she then looked at Sasuke that seemed colder than usual.  
  
"Ne Sasuke-kun?" Sakura started  
  
"What?" Sasuke replied coldly  
  
"Don't you think you were a bit hard on him?" Sakura asked  
  
"That idiot doesn't let anything bother him except our rivalry." Sasuke answered as he closed his eyes  
  
----POOF----  
  
"Ohayo, I got stuck on the way because ..." Kakashi started to explain when he noticed the worry on Sakura's face  
  
"Sensei, Naruto isn't here yet ..." Sakura told him  
  
"This isn't good" He thought as he walked towards Sakura and placed a hand on her shoulder to reassure her. "Maybe he's just a bit late this morning"  
  
As Sakura was about to say something, they heard a familiar voice not far from where they were. As they looked from where the voice came from, Iruka appeared as he ran towards them.  
  
"Iruka, what gives us the pleasure of having you here?" Kakashi asked  
  
"Have any of you seen Naruto?" Iruka asked as he ignored the question of Kakashi  
  
"He hasn't shown up for training yet so I figured he overslept " Kakashi replied  
  
"He's not." Iruka replied quickly  
  
"Nani!?" Sakura yelled out  
  
"I found this on the floor, and his house is a big mess. His bed, looks like he hasn't even slept in it last night." Iruka handed the headband and necklace to Kakashi  
  
"This isn't good ...I never thought he would do something like this..." Kakashi said in a low tone  
  
"What do you mean something like this? Did something happen to him yesterday that I don't know of!?" Iruka asked as his tone started to get angry  
  
Sakura looked at the ground, as Sasuke remained quite calm.  
  
"Sasuke-kun and Naruto had a fight..." Sakura let out  
  
"But this time, it went further than all the times before ..." Kakashi continued  
  
"Tell me what happened!?" Iruka demanded to know  
  
"I told the idiot the truth about his life and to give up his dream" Sasuke answered as he looked straight into Iruka's eyes without any emotions  
  
"You little bastard!" Iruka grabbed Sasuke by the neck as he pushed him against the tree  
  
"Yamerou Iruka!" Kakashi ordered him as he tried to pull the chuunin off Sasuke  
  
"Let me tell you something that Naruto wouldn't dare to. Remember when your entire clan was killed by you older brother Itachi? All the pain you felt, it's nothing compared to all the pain Naruto endured from the moment he was born up to now. He actually looked up to you as a friend, and if I learn that it's your fault, I'll make you pay." Iruka warned the boy as he released his grip on him  
  
Sakura was shocked by the sudden actions, as Sasuke had his sharingan activated due to the mention of his brother Itachi.  
  
"Iruka calm down. We'll go see Tsunade together to clear up things." Kakashi held the chuunin from trying anything more on Sasuke  
  
"I warn you Uchiha Sasuke." Iruka glared at the boy  
  
"Sakura, Sasuke, training is cancelled today until I tell you otherwise." Kakashi then vanished with Iruka  
  
"Sasuke-kun are you alright?" Sakura asked him  
  
"Fine" Sasuke answered as he walked away  
  
============================================================================ ======================  
  
*Tsunade's House*  
  
Tsunade had barely just woken up, as Kakashi and Iruka appeared before her.  
  
"If the brat did something again send him in instead" Tsunade warned the two  
  
"Tsunade, we might have a problem ..." Kakashi started as he calmed Iruka down  
  
As Tsunade was about to speak, two other ninjas appeared in the room, as her eyes widened.  
  
"What is with you people today, annoy Hokage day!?" Tsunade yelled out with anger  
  
"Please forgive us Hokage-sama, but we're here to inform you that a ninja left the Village without any permission during the night." The ninja kneeled before her  
  
This caught immediately the attention of Kakashi.  
  
"What did this ninja look like?" Kakashi asked  
  
"Orange suit, blond hair, no headband, about 13 years old." The ninja described  
  
"That's Naruto!" yelled out Tsunade and Iruka at the same time  
  
"Why on earth would he do something as stupid as that!?" Tsunade asked as she turned towards Kakashi  
  
"Well, things between Sasuke and Naruto haven't been going too well. And yesterday, I think Sasuke hit a nerve or two." Kakashi explained  
  
"How so?" Tsunade asked  
  
"To be exact, Sasuke mentioned something bad about his parents and his lack of skills as a shinobi." Kakashi answered  
  
"This is bad ..." Tsunade let out  
  
"I'm going to kill that brat" Iruka thought as he tried to control his emotions  
  
"You might want to hold on to these as well" Kakashi said as he handed the two items to her  
  
Tsunade looked carefully at them as she then gave out her order.  
  
"Get every available juunin out there to find Naruto, and I want him alive, I'm not considering him a missing-nin yet." Tsunade ordered them  
  
"Hai" All four answered as they vanished from Tsunade's sight  
  
"Naze Naruto? Naze?" Tsunade asked herself as she stared at the two items  
  
============================================================================ ======================  
  
*In the Midle of Nowhere*  
  
Naruto had walked all night through the forest, since he figured he would have some Anbus after him as soon as it was known he had left.  
  
Naruto looked around, to notice that ahead, the trees seemed to be less numbered as he heard the sound of water.  
  
He walked there, until he heard voices. He immediately hid himself in a tree, as he looked down to know what was going on.  
  
Down on the open grounds, a group of 5 unknown ninjas talked about what seemed to be their next target for assassination.  
  
"Just great I'm lost, I'm hungry and now there's a bunch of nobodies in my way. Best to get out of here before they notice me" Naruto thought as he turned around to go around them  
  
As Naruto prepared himself to jump to the next tree, the branch below him broke as he started to fall. He fell straight into a bush which broke his fall from him getting further injured.  
  
"Chikushou, This is bad!" Naruto mentally yelled at himself  
  
He stood up quickly as he heard the group of ninjas heading to his position. As he prepared to make his smooth escape, he found himself face to face with one of the ninjas.  
  
"Going somewhere?" The fast ninja asked him  
  
"Actually, I am, so if you could just let me ..." Naruto started when the fat ninja tried to punch him  
  
Naruto evaded the punch since it didn't come as fast due to the size of this one.  
  
"Look I'm having a really bad day here, so I'll pretend I never saw anything and just leave." Naruto started to run through the forest, as the fat ninja pursued him  
  
After several minutes of chasing, the ninjas had caught up with the blond. Naruto performed his Kage Bunshin No Jutsu to a number of 7 clones total, including the original, all held a kunai as they prepared to attack.  
  
"Kage Bunshin is it? Doesn't matter, you die today punk" The ugly ninja said  
  
"Fat chance ugly!" Naruto yelled out as all 7 charged forward  
  
The ninjas quickly disposed of the clones, as only the original remained.  
  
"Man, I should of slept last night" Naruto told himself as he took a few steps back  
  
"I say we skin the little bastard" The skinny ninja pointed out  
  
"I say we tare off his arms and legs." The fat ninja suggested  
  
Naruto reached out behind his back to grab shurikens , and in a swift but quick move, he through the shurikens towards the five nameless ninjas.  
  
They easily evaded it, except for the fat one, that ended up injured. Naruto took the opportunity to run away as the four remaining ninjas chased him.  
  
With odds four to one weren't very fair, as Naruto at first managed to evaded the punches and kicks until all four attacked him together.  
  
Naruto's body slammed against the ground, as the ugly ninja performed several hand signs and then punched the ground.  
  
Naruto prepared himself as he wanted to stand up, until he felt as if the ground restrained him. Naruto looked at his wrists and ankles to see them held back by the soil of the ground.  
  
Naruto was wide open, as the leader of the ninja squad kneeled next to Naruto and brushed his hands softly against the young boy's cheeks.  
  
"That wasn't really intelligent of you boy. Now we have no other choice but to kill you. Any last words?" The leader asked  
  
Naruto mumbled as the leader couldn't hear what he said. The leader leaned forward, as Naruto then smiled and managed to spit his saliva right into the leader's face.  
  
"You stink!" Naruto commented as he smiled  
  
Naruto soon stopped smiling as the leader punched his left cheek and kicked him several times in the ribs.  
  
"I won't forgive you for this brat!" the leader said as he pulled out a katana and pointed it towards Naruto's neck  
  
"Guess you were right after all Sasuke, I'm not worthy of being aline and a shinobi..." Narutothought as he closed his eyes  
  
"Now die!" The leader yelled out before he started to charge  
  
"It can't get worse any than this ..." Naruto told himself  
  
Naruto awaited for his death, when he heard the sound of steel drop to the ground along with the ninja's voices. He then heard a familiar voice not far form his position.  
  
"Sabaku Kyuu" The voice said  
  
Naruto opened his eyes to see all 4 ninjas were each trapped in a giant looking ball of sand.  
  
"Sabaku SouSou" The voice finished  
  
All 4 ninjas were immediately crushed as the blood fell like rain above him. Naruto pulled out his hands and the sand covered in human blood landed in the palm of his hand.  
  
Naruto sat up as he looked behind him to confirm what he first suspected. His eyes met his, without expression, over the actions he just did. Naruto kneeled as he glared at the taller boy.  
  
"When I thought this couldn't get any worse, boy was I wrong ..." Naruto told himself as both boys stared at each other  
  
TBC  
  
============================================================================ ======================  
  
37 reviews!!!??? I cannot believe that with only the first chapter I had so many, I was like expecting maybe 10 if I was lucky but never 37!!! I msut thank you all for reviewing, it gave me the strength to write this chapter and the next ones to come, Although I must admit I'm under pressure here because now I gotta do my very best so that I won't disappoint you people.!!  
  
For the reviews, they were so many that I can't answer all of them but I'll do my best.  
  
Little Leila : Unfortunately what Sasuke thinks might come in the next chapter since I have to describe the story correctly and not rush it to scrap it.  
  
Hitomi no ryu : well I added some Iruka scenes like you asked me to, hope that was enough although I think Iruka might have been a bit OCC so please forgive for that  
  
Litch Sieger : I'm going a bit for the way Gaara thought and I had warned people Sasuke was a bit OCC in the chapter, but thanks for the encouragement  
  
Komafe : Well Tsunade won't go and place him yet as a missin-nin since she does care for the boy  
  
Simple Rin : among my most loyal reviewer, glad that you enjoy most of my stories, hopefully you've enjoyed this chapter as well  
  
Silver Neo : I agree not enough gaara x naruto fics out there, that's also what made me write this one, I wanted to give my contribution since I like this pairing as well.  
  
Ino Pig : I currently writing 4 stories that are posted and working and a few more soon to post. Takes a lot of time which I don't always have unfortunately but I'll do my best to be as good as I can as a writer.  
  
James : No worries unlike some other writers I have full intentions of finishing every story I write. The only thing that would stop me was if I died, so don't worry about it ;)  
  
Rubymoon17: indeed I managed to write yet another story. My imaginations just keeps running wild lately, well hope you enjoy it!!  
  
Peter kim : I'm aware that the people closest to Naruto won't be happy and I am slowly developing how they feel about the fact Naruto ran off. Hope I'm up for this and don't disappoint people though...  
  
099 : I try to update every fic I got posted at least once a week. And that's almost a guarantee ;)  
  
For all the others that reviewed I highly appreciate it as I hope you've enjoyed this chapter. Know that I spent my entire day writing a new chapter for each of my stories and it's now near midnight and I finally managed to finish this one, I hope it's not too disappointing ...  
  
THANK YOU AGAIN EVERYONE  
  
Next Chapter :  
  
Naruto and Gaara finally meet!!!  
  
READ AND REVIEWS PEOPLE!!!!  
  
Ookima 


	3. Naze?

A New Path Chapter 3 : Naze?  
  
Synopsis : Naruto and Gaara finally meet under the most strange circumstances. Tsunade dispatches the available teams to find Naruto.  
  
Pairings : Main pairing will be Gaara x Naruto. A little bit of Sasuke x Naruto, along with maybe Kakashi x Iruka  
  
Disclaimer : I don't own Naruto but wish I did  
  
Important note : Contains shonen-ai, in other words boy loves boy, don't like then don't read  
  
Extra Information :  
  
- This takes place after the Chuunin exam, although, Sasuke never went to join Orochimaru.  
  
- Also, the fight between Sasuke and Naruto on the Hospital roof did occur.  
  
- Important to have read up to Volume 20 of the manga Naruto  
  
- Sabaku kyuu - ( Desert Coffin ) Part of the sand demon techniques. Uses sand to cover the opponents entire body. Is uses to stop an opponents movement, or cause suffocation.  
  
- Sabaku SouSou - ( Desert Graveyard ) Sand enwrapping the enemy is pushed inward, through the use of Chakra(controlling the air and sand). The inward movement crushes anything trapped inside.  
  
- Kamaitachi no Jutsu : (Slashing Wind Skill ) A jutsu that creates large gusts of wind from a fan strike  
  
- baka = idiot -  
  
- dobe = dead last -  
  
- naruhodo = I see -  
  
- Chikushou = damn / dammit -  
  
- naze = why -  
  
- hai - yes / yeah -  
  
- Arigatou = Thank You -  
  
- Temea = You -  
  
- Itai = Ouch / Ow -  
  
============================================================================ ==========  
  
Naruto mumbled as the leader couldn't hear what he said. The leader leaned forward, as Naruto then smiled and managed to spit his saliva right into the leader's face.  
  
"You stink!" Naruto commented as he smiled  
  
Naruto soon stopped smiling as the leader punched his left cheek and kicked him several times in the ribs.  
  
"I won't forgive you for this brat!" the leader said as he pulled out a katana and pointed it towards Naruto's neck  
  
"Guess you were right after all Sasuke, I'm not worthy of being alive and a shinobi..." Naruto thought as he closed his eyes  
  
"Now die!" The leader yelled out before he started to charge  
  
"It can't get worse any than this ..." Naruto told himself  
  
Naruto awaited for his death, when he heard the sound of steel drop to the ground along with the ninja's voices. He then heard a familiar voice not far form his position.  
  
"Sabaku Kyuu" The voice said  
  
Naruto opened his eyes to see all 4 ninjas were each trapped in a giant looking ball of sand.  
  
"Sabaku SouSou" The voice finished  
  
All 4 ninjas were immediately crushed as the blood fell like rain above him. Naruto pulled out his hands and the sand covered in human blood landed in the palm of his hand.  
  
Naruto sat up as he looked behind him to confirm what he first suspected. His eyes met his, without expression, over the actions he just did. Naruto kneeled as he glared at the taller boy.  
  
"When I thought this couldn't get any worse, boy was I wrong ..." Naruto told himself as both boys stared at each other  
  
Naruto turned around as he managed to raise himself to his knees and look at who just saved him.  
  
"Ga ...Gaara?" Naruto let out as his eyes widened  
  
"Look at this, I never thought to have Uzumaki Naruto would kneel before me" Gaara stated as he crossed his arms together  
  
"Tamea !" Naruto started as he tried to rise to stand up on his feet  
  
As Naruto was about to stand up from knees to his feet, he found himself back on his knees, with a hand pressed against his ribs.  
  
"Itai..." Naruto let out  
  
Naruto had trouble breathing, as he raised his head to look straight into Gaara's eyes, while he tried to steady his breath.  
  
"I take it you have a few broken ribs." Gaara said as he stared down to the blond  
  
"Why did you help me...? We're suppose to be enemies ..." Naruto said, as he coughed up some blood  
  
"Because, you intrigue me" Gaara replied as his eyes focused above the blond  
  
Naruto confused by Gaara's answer simply stares at him, while he tried to stay focused and ignore the pain he's in.  
  
"What the HELL happened here!?" A male voice said  
  
Naruto slightly turned around to see where the voice was coming from, as Gaara walked to the blond's side.  
  
"As if I needed any more trouble" Naruto said  
  
"You'll pay for killing my comrades brat!" The fat ninja yelled out as he pulled out multiple shurikens  
  
"Gaara, he's after me, leave before you get ..." Naruto started as he forced himself to his feet  
  
"There isn't enough blood yet..." Gaara replied as he blinked once and stared at the fat ninja  
  
"Die!" The fat ninja yelled out as he threw all his shurikens towards Naruto  
  
Naruto could barely stay on his feet, les move to evade the attack.  
  
"I screwed up big time" Naruto thought as he waited to feel the pain of the attack  
  
Naruto's eyes focused on the shurikens, when a wall of sand rose in front of him. He immediately turned his head to look at Gaara, that hadn't changed much of his expression since the last time he looked at him.  
  
"NANI!?" The fat ninja shouted as sand started to gather at his feet  
  
The thick wall of sand that protected Naruto had sustained the attack from reaching Naruto, as Gaara stepped forward to the fat ninja.  
  
Gaara uncrossed his arms, as the sand made it's way up to the fat ninja's neck. Gaara then held his hand in front of himself and started to raise it a little.  
  
"Sabaku kyuu" Gaara said as now the fat ninja was engulfed by sand, only his eyes, nose and mouth remained without it  
  
"What the hell are you?" The fat ninja asked with a trembling voice  
  
"The person who ended you team's lives." Gaara replied with a neutral voice as he closed his fist "Sabaku SouSou" He finished as bloody sand spread on the ground  
  
"Naze?" Naruto asked as he walked towards Gaara slowly  
  
"Because, if anyone is going to kill you, it will be me ..." Gaara answered as he turned to face the blond  
  
Both stared at each other for several minutes, until the wind suddenly started to raise high.  
  
"Kamaitachi no Jutsu" A female voice let out as gusts of wind headed straight for Naruto  
  
By the time Naruto turned around, a powerful wind swiped him off his feet to propel him against a tree.  
  
His head hit first, as the blond's eyes opened wide for a moment until he started to fall.  
  
"This is ..." Naruto thought as he felt himself drift to sleep  
  
Naruto laid, face first, at the base of the tree, unconscious. Gaara focused on Naruto as he turned around to his Temari and Kankuro land in front of him.  
  
"Gaara are you alright?" Temari asked as she closed her big fan  
  
Gaara stayed silent as he crossed his arms.  
  
Kankuro first looked at his sister before looking back at his little borhter.  
  
"Ne Gaara, why are you here anyway?" Kankuro asked  
  
"Because I felt he was here." Gaara replied as he drifted his eyes towards the blond for a moment  
  
Temari walked towards the blond as she pressed two fingers against his neck.  
  
"Well, he's still breathing" Temari informed her teammates  
  
"So what do we do then?" Kankuro asked as all three of them seemed to have no clue what to do at this point.  
  
============================================================================ ======================  
  
*Hokage Tower*  
  
Tsunade had already informed the Anbu teams to be on the watch, as all were now aware of Naruto's disappearance.  
  
Standing in front of her were the available teams that could be spared to go out and look for Naruto.  
  
Kakashi. His team composed originally of Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura  
  
Gai. His team composed of Lee, Neji and Tenten  
  
Asuma. His team composed of Ino, Shikamaru and Chouji.  
  
And last of all ...  
  
Kurenai. Her team composed of Shino, Kiba and Hinata.  
  
The four Jounins stood silently as they awaited for their Hokage's orders.  
  
"Gai, Uchiha Sasuke will be joining your team temporarily for the search. As for Haruno Sakura, she'll be on your team, Asuma." Tsunade stated  
  
"Excuse me, why do you separate Kakashi's team?" Kurenai asked  
  
"Uchiha Sasuke and Haruno Sakura cannot go alone to search for Naruto. Besides, Gai's team have only two members at the moment. Aside of that Kakashi has his own mission to find that pervert sennin." Tsunade explained  
  
"We understand then." Kurenai said  
  
Asuma and Kurenai disappeared as they went back to their own team to inform them or their new mission.  
  
Gai remained for a moment as he stared at Kakashi.  
  
"I'll make sure your students come back safe Kakashi" Gai told his rival  
  
"I appreciate that" Kakashi said as Gai waved goodbye to Tsunade and disappeared in smoke  
  
"Kakashi, while you're out finding that pervert, be alert. If words gets out that Naruto isn't here anymore, Orochimaru and the organization that Itachi is in would take this opportunity to take Naruto and that would be bad for Konoha." Tsunade let out as she took a deep breath  
  
"I'm aware. I'll do what I can and report as soon as possible." Kakashi said in a neutral tone as he was about to leave  
  
"Kakashi, this isn't your fault, so don't blame yourself" Tsunade stated as she felt sad  
  
"As much as I would want to believe that Hokage-sama, the boy was my responsibility and I should of seen this coming..." Kakashi replied as he vanished as well  
  
Deep down, Tsunade knew Kakashi wasn't entirely wrong, but then again, the rest of the Villagers that treated the poor boy like a monster, didn't help either.  
  
============================================================================ ======================  
  
*Asuma's Team*  
  
As Asuma arrived to meet up with his team, he took in a deep breath, not knowing quite how to announce the news to his team.  
  
Chouji was eating his bag of potato chips as usual, as Shikamaru looked up to the clouds while Ino kept shouting in the boy's ear.  
  
"Asuma-sensei! So what are we going to do today?" Ino asked, as she completely forgot about Shikamaru  
  
"Listen carefully, we're doing an A ranked mission this time." Asuma started until he heard a loud voice  
  
"NANI!?" A ranked mission aren't suppose to be for people like us!" Ino yelled out  
  
Asuma took another puff of his cigarette, while Shikamaru had a finger in his ear trying to recover from her creams.  
  
"Asuma-sensei, why us?" Shikamaru asked  
  
"Ever since we encountered Itachi and Orochimaru the Village has been on high alert, all Anbu members are ordered to stay here, and only three teams remain that can be set out on this mission." Asuma explained  
  
"Three teams?" Chouji asked through his eating  
  
"No need to worry Chouji. Kurenai and Gai's team will be joining us on this one as well." Asuma answered  
  
"What about Kakashi's team?" Shikamaru asked a bit worried  
  
"Team 7 for now is being separated. Haruno Sakura will be joining our team as Uchiha Sasuke will be on Gai's team. Kakashi has another mission so he won't be joining us." Asuma continued  
  
"What about Naruto?" Chouji asked  
  
Asuma swallowed, as Shikamaru noticed his sensei was a bit uncomfortable by the question.  
  
"The mission is about Naruto isn't it?" Shikamaru asked  
  
"Hai. We don't know much, but we know for sure Naruto left the Village and it's urgent we find him before the enemy does." Asuma answered  
  
"Naruto maybe look stupid, loud and all, but he must of have had a good reason to leave in the first place" Shikamaru let out as he put on a serious look  
  
"You mean that Idiot actually left without permission!?" Ino shouted  
  
"If sensei just said so, then yeah." Chouji said as he opened up a new bag of potato chips  
  
"For now, we wait for the other teams as well as Haruno Sakura to arrive." Asuma informed his team, as he noticed Shikamaru felt concerned over what they had just learned  
  
"Naruto, why would you leave?" Shikamaru asked himself as he stared up at the clouds  
  
============================================================================ ======================  
  
*Kurenai's Team*  
  
As Kurenai arrived, Akamaru rested on Kiba's head, as he seemed to be arguing with Shino on something. Hinata stayed at a certain distance as always since she was shy.  
  
"Kiba you'll discuss it later, we have a new mission." Kurenai started  
  
"About damn time!" Kiba yelled out as Shino and Hinata stayed silent  
  
"The information I'm about to tell you is not to be repeated or told to anyone else understood?" Kurenai asked  
  
Shino and Hinata nodded their heads, as Akamaru and Kiba exchanged looks for a few seconds until Kiba gave his answer with a nod.  
  
"Last night, Uzumaki Naruto left without permission the Village. We are to find and get him back here. We'll have the help of Gai and Asuma's team." Kurenai started  
  
"Naruto left!!??" Kiba yelled out  
  
"Naruto-kun left?" Hinata thought as her eyes showed she was worried  
  
"Can't you ever stop yelling?" Shino said with a calm voice  
  
"What the hell did you say!?" Kiba yelled again as he closed his fist and turned to face Shino  
  
"Kiba, just put the fight later. For now, we're going to join Asuma's team and wait there until all teams are there. I'll explain more on the way overthere" Kurenai ordered  
  
Kiba cursed, as Shino followed without any objections. Hinata played with her fingers, as she worried for the blond.  
  
============================================================================ ======================  
  
*Gai's Team*  
  
Neji sat at the feet of a tree, arms and legs crossed, as Tenten threw kunais and shurikens around her teammate to hit every target.  
  
"Youth can be so beautiful" Gai let out which caught the attention of his two students immediately  
  
"Aside from what you just said, why are you here?" Neji asked while his eyes remained closed  
  
"Hokage-sama gave us a new mission." Gai started  
  
"Another boring one I suppose" Tenten commented as she threw a few more kunais to other targets  
  
"It's an A ranked mission" Gai stated which caught the attention of his student  
  
Neji's eyes opened as he stared at his strange sensei, as Tenten stopped throwing her weapons and leaned against the tree where Neji sat at.  
  
"What kind?" Neji asked  
  
"Missing-nin" Gai answered  
  
"Aren't the Anbu there for that?" Tenten asked  
  
"Due to the recent activities, the Anbu can't be spared to protect the Village." Gai explained  
  
"So who are we hunting down?" Neji asked  
  
"Naruto" Gai replied quickly  
  
"EH!?" Tenten let out in shock  
  
"Naruto, as in Uzumaki Naruto?" Neji asked as he uncrossed his arms and legs to stand up  
  
"Hai" Gai answered  
  
"That can't be ... Why would he leave in the first place?" Tenten asked  
  
"There's no information about that right now. But Hokage asked that we bring him back alive. For his own good. Also, we'll have Uchiha Sasuke joining us very soon" Gai answered  
  
"Why?" Neji asked coldly  
  
"Hokage made the decision not me. Just know that Asuma and Kurenai's team will be joining with us as well for the search." Gai answered  
  
Gai started to walk away as Tenten didn't argue and followed her sensei.  
  
"You better be alive when I find you Naruto" Neji thought as he caught up with his team  
  
============================================================================ ======================  
  
*Kakashi's Team*  
  
As Kakashi arrived to his own team, but he never gave Sakura a chance to even argue as he went straight to the point.  
  
"Sakura, save it for later" Kakashi ordered  
  
Sakura closed her mouth, as this caught Sasuke's attention since their sensei seemed very serious of what he wanted to talk to them about.  
  
"Both of you are going on an A ranked mission." Kakashi started  
  
"An A ranked? Naze?" Sakura asked  
  
"I'll be direct then." Kakashi started  
  
"Shouldn't we wait for dobe?" Sasuke asked, hands in his pockets  
  
"Naruto won't come" Kakashi replied  
  
"Demo, Naruto always whines about getting these kinds of missions" Sakura stated  
  
"Naruto is directly connected to our mission" Kakashi informed his students  
  
"How?" Sasuke asked  
  
"You see, for some unknown reason to us, Naruto left the Village without permission as he knocked down two guards. With Orochimaru and Itachi still on the loose and their desire to get him, Hokage wants us to find and get him back before things get worse." Kakashi explained  
  
"Naruto ... left? But why?" Sakura asked  
  
"We don't know, that's why you, Sakura, are going to join Asuma's team, while Sasuke joins Gai's team. Those teams will be dispatched to help search for Naruto." Kakashi replied  
  
"Why can't we stay with you?" Sakura asked  
  
"Hokage gave me another mission. Get going now, the sooner you arrive the sooner you'll find him." Kakashi ordered  
  
Sakura knew better than to argue as she left, Sasuke was about to go himself when Kakashi's hand grabbed his shoulder to halt him.  
  
"What?" Sasuke asked coldly  
  
"I don't know what happened between the two of you that made each other snap but we need him here or the whole Village could be in danger." Kakashi explained  
  
Sasuke stayed silent when he felt his sensei's hand remove itself form his shoulder.  
  
"If you find him first, be gentle with him. He suffered enough because of the people here, the last thing he needs is his closest friend to do the same" Kakashi murmured as he vanished in smoke  
  
"Did he leave because of what I said?" Sasuke asked himself before he walked away from the training grounds to join up with his new team  
  
============================================================================ ======================  
  
*Naruto's Apartment*  
  
Iruka sat on Naruto's old bed as his eyes inspected every inch of the blond's room.  
  
Iruka let out a deep breath as he covered his face within his hands and a tear fell from his cheek and on the wooden floor.  
  
"Where ever you are Naruto, I hope you're safe ..." Iruka mumbled as he closed his eyes  
  
============================================================================ ======================  
  
*Deep In The Forest*  
  
Kankuro and Temari stood close to the unconscious Naruto, as Gaara stood still, staring at the blond.  
  
"What do we do with him?" Temari asked  
  
"Well, he's from Leaf Village so we could simply kill him." Kankuro replied  
  
"But he isn't wearing his forehead protector and no signs indicates he's from there." Temari pointed out  
  
Yo Gaara, what do you want to do with him?" Kankuro asked his little brother  
  
"We'll take him back to the Sand Country with us." Gaara answered without hesitation  
  
"Huh!?" Both Temari and Kankuro replied in shock  
  
"Something's been bothering me ever since the chuunin exams. And he might have the answers I seek." Gaara answered as he started to walk away  
  
Temari and Kankuro exchanged looks as they weren't quite sure what their little brother was talking about.  
  
Temari, picked up the bag Naruto had earlier with him as Kankuro leaned down to grab Naruto carefully, as he swooped the blond's arm around his neck. With one hand, Kankuro grabbed Naruto around the waist as the other held the arm around his neck.  
  
Temari and Kankuro then walk beside Gaara, as each of them have their own thoughts.  
  
"Why doesn't Gaara kill him?" Kankuro thought  
  
"I know this one almost beat Gaara but why would he want us to bring him back to our country?" Temari thought  
  
Gaara walked calmly, as he noticed his older sister and brother were confused by his action but he didn't give much of a damn about it.  
  
"You will give me the answers I seek. Uzumaki Naruto." Gaara thought as he closed his eyes momentarily  
  
TBC  
  
============================================================================ ======================  
  
Finally done with it, took me entire day because I kept thinking how to not make this boring. And hopefully I did good ne?  
  
Reviews  
  
Rubymoon17 : I updated at last, hopefully I'll be able to update the rest of my stories soon as well.  
  
Kuroi hikari : I now I make people wait on the start of the couples but I just can't get it on without a great story. But no worry something happens in the next chapter  
  
Nebula : I wasn't too sure if I made Iruka OCC. I noticed he's left out a lot of many stories so I decided to give him some moments in my fic  
  
Simply Rin : I am indeed a fan of cliffhangers they simply help me to cut down the chapters, but I try to make them less painful for readers  
  
Nikkler : Glad to hear their your favorite pairing since I notice their aren't many stories on this pairing hopefully I'll do ok  
  
Peter kim : I kinda did a bit like you mentioned in your review, although it's all the teams that are sent out to search for him.  
  
Silver Neo : I promise next chapter something happens between Gaara and Naruto and those sweet puppy dog eyes will be satisfied I hope  
  
099 : I'm starting to see you in every story I write, glad you enjoy it so far  
  
nicki-gurl : I typed like you asked. Hopefully you'll like this chapter too  
  
purrfectly976 : I was trying to keep everyone like they usually are and no worries Sasuke will start to feel bad soon  
  
iceheart19 : thanks, I know that I had another reviewer that told me it's sucks to write Japanese words through out the story but in my opinion, it makes it better to use the basic words which character uses.  
  
Arbil / silverknight7 / soulsilencer13 / rings of Saturn / asheron karuma / vixen uchiha : thank you for reviewing and hope you weren't disappointed by this chapter, but now things will start to get intriguing starting from chapter 4  
  
Next Chapter :  
  
Naruto wakes up in Gaara's bedroom and now wonders what will happen. Konoha continue to search for the missing blond, as Neji has a talk with Sasuke.  
  
READ AND REVIEW  
  
Arigatou  
  
Ookima 


	4. A Unique Situation

A New Path Chapter 4 : A Unique Situation  
  
Synopsis : Naruto wakes up in Gaara's bedroom and now wonders what will happen. Konoha continue to search for the missing blond, as Neji has a talk with Sasuke.  
  
Pairings : Main pairing will be Gaara x Naruto. A little bit of Sasuke x Naruto, along with maybe Kakashi x Iruka  
  
Disclaimer : I don't own Naruto but wish I did  
  
Important note : Contains shonen-ai, in other words boy loves boy, don't like then don't read  
  
Extra Information :  
  
- This takes place after the Chuunin exam, although, Sasuke never went to join Orochimaru.  
  
- Also, the fight between Sasuke and Naruto on the Hospital roof did occur.  
  
- Important to have read up to Volume 20 of the manga Naruto  
  
- Byakugan - White Eyes : This jutsu is activated in the eyes, much like the Sharingan. Sharingan actually developed from Byakugan. This jutsu allows the user's vision to become 360 degrees. The user is able to see fully around them, and all their surroundings. Byakugan also has the ability to see objects, and view the inner coil system of a person's body, and in advanced cases, the Chakra Holes. Using this, the user can attack the inner organs of a person, and do high amounts of damage.  
  
- Juin Jutsu - (Curse Seal): Hyuga. This Seal is unique to the Hyuga Clan. It was created by the Souke (Main) House. It is used on every member of the Bunke (Branch) House, when they are young. The seal, places an odd shape on the patients forehead. This symbol, is activated when a member of the Branch House dies. This trigger, causes the seal to begin eating away at the brain cells of the patient. By doing this, evidence of the Byakugan is destroyed. This evidence keeps the secrets of the Hyuga Clan in tact. A hand-seal, using chakra can also trigger this effect. It gives the main house control over the branch house. This seal is given to the Bunke house by force, and not by choice.  
  
- baka = idiot -  
  
- dobe = dead last -  
  
- naruhodo = I see -  
  
- Chikushou = damn / dammit -  
  
- naze = why -  
  
- hai = yes / yeah -  
  
- Arigatou = Thank You -  
  
- Temea = You -  
  
- Itai = Ouch / Ow -  
  
- Urousai = Shut up -  
  
============================================================================ ==========  
  
*Deep In The Forest*  
  
Kankuro and Temari stood close to the unconscious Naruto, as Gaara stood still, staring at the blond.  
  
"What do we do with him?" Temari asked  
  
"Well, he's from Leaf Village so we could simply kill him." Kankuro replied  
  
"But he isn't wearing his forehead protector and no signs indicates he's from there." Temari pointed out  
  
"Yo Gaara, what do you want to do with him?" Kankuro asked his little brother  
  
"We'll take him back to the Sand Country with us." Gaara answered without hesitation  
  
"Huh!?" Both Temari and Kankuro replied in shock  
  
"Something's been bothering me ever since the chuunin exams. And he might have the answers I seek." Gaara answered as he started to walk away  
  
Temari and Kankuro exchanged looks as they weren't quite sure what their little brother was talking about.  
  
Temari, picked up the bag Naruto had earlier with him as Kankuro leaned down to grab Naruto carefully, as he swooped the blond's arm around his neck. With one hand, Kankuro grabbed Naruto around the waist as the other held the arm around his neck.  
  
Temari and Kankuro then walk beside Gaara, as each of them have their own thoughts.  
  
"Why doesn't Gaara kill him?" Kankuro thought  
  
"I know this one almost beat Gaara but why would he want us to bring him back to our country?" Temari thought  
  
Gaara walked calmly, as he noticed his older sister and brother were confused by his action but he didn't give much of a damn about it.  
  
"You will give me the answers I seek. Uzumaki Naruto." Gaara thought as he closed his eyes momentarily  
  
============================================================================ ======================  
  
*Inside Naruto*  
  
Naruto slowly opened his eyes as he heard a too familiar voice speak to him.  
  
He managed to stand up as he looked to his right. He walked towards the metal bars of the cage that held Kyubi down.  
  
Their eyes met as Naruto shivered at the sight of the fox and where he was.  
  
"Only a brat like you could possibly get captured by that other demon brat" Kyubi let out with a grin  
  
"Urousai you stupid fox!" Naruto shouted  
  
"Loudmouth brat" Kyubi growled as he approached the bars  
  
"Look, this has been the worse day ever and I don't need you rubbing it in." Naruto commented as he sat on the ground  
  
Naruto crossed his arms and legs as he pouted before the big cage and ignored the presence of the fox.  
  
"Are you aware of where that other brat is taking you?" Kyubi asked  
  
"How the hell should I know! Doesn't matter anyway, as long as it's far away from that damn Village." Naruto replied as he turned his back to the Kyubi  
  
The fox stared at the boy, surprised by the answer he gave him, since he knew all too well the dreams that this one had since he was born.  
  
"Well, I sense this demon brat is also interesting, so hopefully you won't do something dumb to piss him off and get yourself killed, since we are heading for the Sand Country" Kyubi informed the boy  
  
"Any place is better than Konoha...And death is more than welcomed at this point..." Naruto said as he uncrossed his arms and legs  
  
Kyubi couldn't help but stare at the blond once more, as this one simply let himself fall on the bloody floor.  
  
Naruto laid there, as his eyes looked above him as they then closed and tears came out of them.  
  
============================================================================ ======================  
  
*Konoha Village, Asuma's Team*  
  
Asuma's team waited for the arrival of Haruno Sakura, when they heard the voice of two males that seemed to be arguing.  
  
"Can't you stay quite for once?" Shino asked, his hands in his pockets  
  
"What was that!?" Kiba yelled out as he pointed his fist to Shino  
  
"Woof woof" Akamaru barked to help his master  
  
Hinata and Kurenai weren't far behind, as they finally reached Asuma's team.  
  
"This is going to be so troublesome..." Shikamaru stated as he took a deep breath  
  
"Forehead girl sure is taking her time ... Probably trying to get Sasuke since Naruto's not in the way anymore ..." Ino thought  
  
Chouji only continued to eat his snacks, as Asuma took some more puffs of his cigarette.  
  
"Kiba, just stop arguing with Shino for 5 minutes." Kurenai demanded of her student  
  
Kiba let out a growl, as Hinata stayed away from the group.  
  
As Ino was about to speak, at last her rival for Sasuke's love had finally arrived.  
  
"Gomen, Kakashi-sensei only explained the minimum about the mission and Naruto." Sakura stated as she found herself staring at Ino  
  
"Isn't Sasuke-kun with you?" Ino asked  
  
"Iie, but he should be here soon though." Sakura informed as she turned her back to her rival  
  
The team now waited for Gai's team to show up to give out the orders on how they would proceed to search for the blond.  
  
Shikamaru took a look behind Kurenai-sensei as he noticed the Hyuga female that seems very shy but shows quite a concern over the current mission that they are about to start.  
  
"Gai's team better get here soon, the more time passes the less chances we have of finding Naruto..." Shikamaru thought  
  
============================================================================ ======================  
  
*Konoha's Hot Springs*  
  
Many beautiful young females bathed themselves in the hot springs, unaware that on the other side of the woodened fence, a white haired man in a somewhat partly red uniform.  
  
The man, light on his feet, moved the bushes that prevented him form looking through the cracks that were available to peek at the young ladies.  
  
"Such beautiful young girls. At least I can sneak up on them without Naruto going loud on me and ruining my peeking." The man said as he removed the last bush out of the way  
  
The white haired man leaned forward to place his eye to take a peek when he heard a voice behind him.  
  
"My my, Tsunade-sama and Naruto-kun were correct when they called you a perverted man. Jiraiya-sama" Kakashi said quite loudly  
  
Jiraiya immediately turned around to meet the person who stood right behind him.  
  
Kakashi stood, as he leaned against a tree, and in hand, his favorite book. Come Come Paradise.  
  
Jiraiya gave sign to Kakashi to keep his voice down. His focused returned to peek as he tried to ignore the Jounin behind him.  
  
"Too late" Kakashi let out with a smile  
  
By the time Jiraiya looked, the Hot Springs were now empty!  
  
He quickly turned towards Kakashi and got in his face.  
  
"I thought for ONCE I could have my chance, since that blond brat always interferes." Jiraiya stated  
  
"Tsunade-sama needs to see you right away" Kakashi explained as he didn't take his eyes off his book  
  
"Will you put that book away already!? And why would SHE need to see me anyway?" Jiraiya asked as Kakashi closed his book and placed it in his pocket  
  
"It concerns the Village and Naruto." Kakashi said with a serious tone  
  
"What did that brat do this time?" Jiraiya asked that seemed annoyed  
  
"He... He ran away..." Kakashi said  
  
"NANI!?" Jiraiya yelled out as he was shocked  
  
"We just know that he left the Village during the night without permission. And With Orochimaru who wants to kill him and Itachi who wants the Nine- Tails, This could go from bad to worse." Kakashi stated  
  
"Chikushou! I should have been there to stop him. Weren't you suppose to watch over him while I was away?" Jiraiya asked with an angry tone  
  
"The quarrels between Sasuke and Naruto continued but this time, it went a bit too far, but Naruto usually doesn't let those things get to him." Kakashi informed  
  
"So it went from bad to worse between those two then?" Jiraiya asked  
  
"Hai, but don't ask why because I truly don't know. Tsunade will inform you of the rest, so let's get going." Kakashi answered  
  
Jiraiya nodded as both vanished from the scene.  
  
============================================================================ ======================  
  
*Sand Village*  
  
Naruto laid on a warm futon in a bright room as he managed to slowly opened his eyes.  
  
He found himself staring at the ceiling, as he rubbed his eyes so that his vision would clear up.  
  
"Where the hell am I?" Naruto asked himself as he sat up in the bed  
  
Naruto's eyes searched the room carefully, until he looked to his right.  
  
His eyes widened as blue eyes met a pale green set of eyes with no emotions in them.  
  
"You have got to be kidding me..." Naruto mentally told himself as he was about to speak  
  
Gaara sat on the floor, arms and legs crossed as his face showed no expression as usual.  
  
"Don't your ribs hurt?" Gaara asked  
  
"Eh?" Naruto managed to let out  
  
"You had a few ribs broken. And you sat up as if nothing ever happened" Gaara specified  
  
"Oh... Well ... You see... My chakra ends up healing myself automatically." Naruto replied as he patted the back of his head and smiled  
  
"Like my sand protects me" Gaara stated  
  
Naruto nodded as Gaara's eyes never left the blond's.  
  
"Where am I?" Naruto asked with a trembling voice  
  
"Sand Village, my house." Gaara answered  
  
"Naruhodo ... And I guess I can't leave right?" Naruto asked but already knew the answer  
  
"Iie, you can't. Headband" Gaara answered  
  
"Headband? Man Gaara you definitely have to talk in phrases and not just words." Naruto commented  
  
Gaara's intense look was somewhat a bit more frightening than it was a few moments ago.  
  
Naruto swallowed as he started to feel a bit scared.  
  
"Where is your headband from your Village?" Gaara asked  
  
"I don't belong to that stupid Village anymore" Naruto replied with a neutral tone  
  
Naruto's expression changed to neutral but seemed sad as this caught Gaara's attention, as his stare became somewhat ( less intent to kill ) as he blinked a few times.  
  
Naruto took a deep breath as he only said one thing to Gaara.  
  
"If you're going to kill me then just get it over with." Naruto let out as he looked straight into Gaara's eyes and showed that he was serious  
  
============================================================================ ======================  
  
*Konoha Village, Gai's Team*  
  
As Gai's team continued their way to meet the other two teams, they finally came across Uchiha Sasuke.  
  
Gai's team came to a stop as Gai greeted the boy in his own special way.  
  
"The stunning Uchiha Sasuke arrives!" Gai almost shouted out  
  
Neji and Tenten simply slapped their forehead as Sasuke twitched a little from hearing what Gai had just said.  
  
After the introductions are made, the team continues to walk, as Neji and Sasuke stare at each other.  
  
"Gai-sensei, do you have any more information that will help us locate and bring Naruto-san back?" Neji asked  
  
"Unfortunately no. Hopefully we'll know more once we join up with the others." Gai replied  
  
Sasuke turned his head to look even closer to the Hyuga and seemed surprised by Neji's concern and interest in the blond.  
  
"Why do you even care about that dobe?" Sasuke let out by curiosity  
  
"Because that boy, he set me free" Neji replied  
  
The moment Sasuke heard the answer, he stopped walking, as the other three looked back to him.  
  
Neji observes the Uchiha as he turns towards his sensei.  
  
"Gai-sensei. Me and Uchiha will catch up, please continue on without us" Neji requested  
  
"Gai noticed that Neji wanted to have a private talk with the boy as he gave a sign to Tenten to follow him.  
  
They both vanished form sight within a few minutes, as Neji turned to face Sasuke.  
  
Neji walked towards a tree, as he leaned against it, resting his back against the trunk and closed his eyes.  
  
Sasuke observed the boy carefully as he was curious to what Neji had to say to him.  
  
"My answer seemed to have troubled you Uchiha Sasuke" Neji stated  
  
"Hai, how could he of all people set you free and how is that even possible anyway? You are already free" Sasuke replied as his eyes showed he was confused  
  
"I will show you why I use to be a prisoner of the Hyuga Clan." Neji informed the boy as he started to take his forehead protector off  
  
As he removed the forehead protector band, the curse of the Hyuga branch family appeared as Sasuke's eyes showed he was a bit surprised by this.  
  
"What is that?" Sasuke asked as his eyes pointed the mark on Neji's forehead  
  
"This is the curse from which the main family inflict upon us, the branch family. It's called Juin Jutsu. It is used on every member of the Branch House, when we are young. This symbol, is activated when a member of the Branch House dies in order to seal the Byakugan ability so that our enemies never can discover it's secrets. As well, the main family can activate it by doing a hand-seal, by chakra to trigger this effect. It gives the main house complete control over the branch house. This seal is given to the us, branch family house by force, and not by choice. In other words, the moment where we first take our breaths, our destiny is decided and there's nothing we can do to change it." Neji explained as he put back on his forehead protector band  
  
"How does Naruto fit in all this?" Sasuke asked  
  
"Before I fought him in the Chuunin Exams, my anger towards the main family clouded my judgment. After all, I had blamed them for the death of my father, who sacrificed his life in order to protect his brother, the leader of the main family. To me destiny could never be changed and I foresaw the future with my Byakugan. When I fought against Naruto-san, I called him a dropout and he never gave up. In the end, he's the one that made me realize that I can choose my own destiny despite this curse I bear. Just like my father told me. So you see, I was like a bird trapped in a cage, and Uzumaki Naruto opened the door to let me be free." Neji finished as he opened his eyes and it showed both joy and sadness  
  
"Can't believe that dobe could possibly do that" Sasuke let out  
  
"That dobe, as you call him, highly respected you, even though he never showed it." Neji stated as he looked straight into the boys eyes  
  
"Why tell me all this anyway?" Sasuke asked  
  
"Simple, you're on the same team as him. Even though everyone calls him stupid, that boy knows the real meaning of pain and suffering. Yet he continues to smile all the time. What I'm trying to say Uchiha Sasuke, is that Naruto can touch the hearts of those that seem to have no hopes, no feelings, no emotions, like me and you." Neji stated with a soft voice as he turned his back to Sasuke and started to walk away  
  
Sasuke stood there, silent, as Neji walked away to join up with the others.  
  
Sasuke clenched his fists as he lowered his head towards the ground and closed his eyes for a short moment.  
  
"Perhaps, I knew this all along, but unlike you Neji, I wanted to avoid it... And so I didn't listen to what he told me... I ignored it..." Sasuke thought as he let out a deep breath  
  
============================================================================ ======================  
  
*Sand Village, Gaara's Bedroom*  
  
Gaara stared at the blond for several minutes, surprised by the reply the boy had given him.  
  
Gaara blinked once, as he decided to stand up on his feet and uncross his arms.  
  
"I don't feel like killing you right now" Gaara answered as he prepared to walk out of the room  
  
Naruto jumped out of bed as he stood in the way of Gaara and the door.  
  
"You're just going to leave like that!? Aren't you even going to ask me why I left that stupid Village!?" Naruto yelled out as he face Gaara with anger  
  
"You're in my way" Gaara replied  
  
"You're not going anywhere until you tell me why the hell you brought me here and didn't kill me yet!" Naruto shouted as he pointed his fist towards Gaara  
  
Gaara only lifted an eyebrow as he took another step forward towards the blond.  
  
Naruto took a step back towards the door, when they heard a female voice coming from the other side.  
  
"Gaara! How long are you planning to watch that idiot ..." Temari started when she opened the door quickly  
  
The moment the door opened, Temari rushed in, as she bumped into Naruto's back.  
  
Naruto was pushed forward when he noticed he was getting very close to Gaara's face and body.  
  
As Temari regained her balance from bumping into the blond, Naruto's lips met instantly those of Gaara.  
  
Naruto and Gaara were kissing, as their eyes opened wide, just as much as Temari's that was shocked and surprised by the sudden action.  
  
"Temari!" Kankuro yelled out as he stepped inside the room  
  
Kankuro's eyes widened as his mouth opened in shock over what his eyes made him see.  
  
Gaara and Naruto stared at each other for a moment when Naruto realized how the situation wasn't good at all.  
  
Naruto jumped back as he landed on his butt, at the feet of Kankuro and Temari.  
  
"Why ... Why were they ... Kissing?" Kankuro managed to let out  
  
Temari didn't answer as Gaara's sand started to pour out of his gourd and gather at his own feet.  
  
"Uzumaki Naruto ..." Gaara spoke as his eyes glared at the blond  
  
"Oh crap, Now I'm dead" Naruto thought as he shivered  
  
TBC  
  
============================================================================ ======================  
  
28 reviews!!! I'm so happy so many people like my story! Well another chapter is done and hopefully it was as good as the previous. Not too much action but those that were waiting for a Gaara and Naruto moment, well I finally made it happened! Hope you guys and girls are happy!  
  
On with the reviews  
  
Ladyvirgo : that's why I wrote this fic, people always getting in our poor Naruto's face, soon they'll pay for what they did  
  
Fluffy-kins : I'm glad you enjoy this story a lot, at first I didn't know so many people would like it. Glad you joined the club!  
  
Heh : I'm happy you liked it. I sometimes think how it should maybe go or as a side story. Currently working on another story ( not posted yet ) when Naruto and the gang go and try get Sasuke back. Hopefully it will be as good.  
  
Arbil : you must be a bit happy, I made something happened between the two! Although it's only fluff right now. If Konoha on't find him, they might be in deep sh*t  
  
SoulRetriever13/SoulSilencer13 : They only were aware that Naruto wasn't home or to be found, they never knew that Naruto had actually left the Village and all. So sorry if that confused you.  
  
Pter Joo Kim : No worries, Temari and Kankuro are confused but as the story continues things will get interesting and Gaara will have to threatened a few people.  
  
Muchacha : well Sasuke didn't get his ass kicked physically but I think with Neji kinda talking to him, made him revise how he felt a little.  
  
Nicki : I'm very glad to hear you like my talent. Indeed, sometimes I describ either a lot or not enough. But I'll do my best to try and get the middle lol. What is kinda a tad bit hard is that most Naruto stories where he leaves, they don't focus on other characters reactions. Hopefully people like it that I implied the other characters, I think I'm doing an ok job with they personalities and all. Anyway thanks for the support  
  
Silver neo : nice little story. I so laugh when I read reviews like yours, they give me some strength to continue and try to write a chapter per week at least. Continue the good reviews  
  
Nickler : Well, Gaara didn't nurse him back to health but at least he stayed by his side. I don't want to make the characters too OCC either that's why slowly Gaara will have feelings and all, and not just suddenly. Hope you don't mind  
  
Rubymoon17 : I'm planning on updating all stories at least once a week. So far I've been able to keep it up. The only times it might take a bit lnger is when I have exams at school.  
  
Iceheart19 : I'm glad you enjoyed it. I simply wanted to show that even though team 7 are the main characters, the others have a place as well. Mostly wanted to show who Naruto's friends really are. Mostly Neji and Shikamaru worry more than others, a little Hinata but she's still to shy to say much.  
  
Drownin' in my tears / keri2004 / Jane / Unclear-destiny / 099 / oracale / Emeraldblossom / TheTrueSilver / silverheart7 / Huma / Rings of Saturn / Asianbaka : thank you for reviewing, it helped me update a bit sooner and I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well. Thanks again!!!  
  
Next Chapter :  
  
What will Gaara do to Naruto!? And how will Temari and Kankuro react to this? And Sasuke thinks about that night when Naruto told the truth about his life to the Uchiha.  
  
READ AND REVIEW!!!  
  
Ookima 


	5. Changes

A New Path Chapter 5 : Changes  
  
Synopsis : What will Gaara do to Naruto!? And how will Temari and Kankuro react to this? And Sasuke thinks about that night when Naruto told the truth about his life to the Uchiha.  
  
Pairings : Main pairing will be Gaara x Naruto. A little bit of Sasuke x Naruto, along with maybe Kakashi x Iruka  
  
Disclaimer : I don't own Naruto but wish I did  
  
Important note : Contains shonen-ai, in other words boy loves boy, don't like then don't read  
  
Extra Information :  
  
- This takes place after the Chuunin exam, although, Sasuke never went to join Orochimaru.  
  
- Also, the fight between Sasuke and Naruto on the Hospital roof did occur.  
  
- Important to have read up to Volume 20 of the manga Naruto  
  
- baka = idiot -  
  
- dobe = dead last -  
  
- naruhodo = I see -  
  
- Chikushou = damn / dammit -  
  
- naze = why -  
  
- hai = yes / yeah -  
  
- Arigatou = Thank You -  
  
- Temea = You -  
  
- Itai = Ouch / Ow -  
  
- Urousai = Shut up -  
  
============================================================================ ==========  
  
*Sand Village, Gaara's Bedroom*  
  
Gaara stared at the blond for several minutes, surprised by the reply the boy had given him.  
  
Gaara blinked once, as he decided to stand up on his feet and uncross his arms.  
  
"I don't feel like killing you right now" Gaara answered as he prepared to walk out of the room  
  
Naruto jumped out of bed as he stood in the way of Gaara and the door.  
  
"You're just going to leave like that!? Aren't you even going to ask me why I left that stupid Village!?" Naruto yelled out as he face Gaara with anger  
  
"You're in my way" Gaara replied  
  
"You're not going anywhere until you tell me why the hell you brought me here and didn't kill me yet!" Naruto shouted as he pointed his fist towards Gaara  
  
Gaara only lifted an eyebrow as he took another step forward towards the blond.  
  
Naruto took a step back towards the door, when they heard a female voice coming from the other side.  
  
"Gaara! How long are you planning to watch that idiot ........." Temari started when she opened the door quickly  
  
The moment the door opened, Temari rushed in, as she bumped into Naruto's back.  
  
Naruto was pushed forward when he noticed he was getting very close to Gaara's face and body.  
  
As Temari regained her balance from bumping into the blond, Naruto's lips met instantly those of Gaara.  
  
Naruto and Gaara were kissing, as their eyes opened wide, just as much as Temari's that was shocked and surprised by the sudden action.  
  
"Temari!" Kankuro yelled out as he stepped inside the room  
  
Kankuro's eyes widened as his mouth opened in shock over what his eyes made him see.  
  
Gaara and Naruto stared at each other for a moment when Naruto realized how the situation wasn't good at all.  
  
Naruto jumped back as he landed on his butt, at the feet of Kankuro and Temari.  
  
"Why ......... Why were they ......... Kissing?" Kankuro managed to let out  
  
Temari didn't answer as Gaara's sand started to pour out of his gourd and gather at his own feet.  
  
"Uzumaki Naruto ........." Gaara spoke as his eyes glared at the blond  
  
"Oh crap, Now I'm dead" Naruto thought as he shivered  
  
The sand slowly made it's way towards Naruto as it started to engulf the blond slowly. Temari and Kankuro stepped aside not wanting to interfere especially after what happened.  
  
Naruto was now immobilized by the sand, as Gaara stepped forward and stared at the blond.  
  
"Kankuro, Temari, leave us alone." Gaara demanded  
  
"But Gaara ........." Kankuro started  
  
"Are you sure ........." Temari continued  
  
"Out or I'll kill you both" Gaara warned them  
  
Temari and Kankuro felt a chill as they simply nodded and gave away a false smile to their little brother as they left the room.  
  
Gaara's sand held Naruto from any movement, as Gaara looked down to our blond with strange eyes.  
  
"Let me go!" Naruto yelled out  
  
"You're going to answer me Uzumaki Naruto." Gaara warned the boy  
  
"Whatever" Naruto responded  
  
Gaara kneeled before the boy, as the sand slowly removed itself and went back into its gourd.  
  
"What was that earlier?" Gaara asked  
  
"Huh?" Naruto let out  
  
"What you did to me" Gaara specified a little  
  
"Oh, that was an accident I swear I didn't mean to ........." Naruto started to explain  
  
"What was it?" Gaara asked again  
  
"Kiss. It's called a kiss." Naruto answered a bit confused  
  
"I see. Why do people do that?" Gaara asked  
  
Naruto's eyebrow lifted a bit, surprised by the question but he remained calm.  
  
"That's what people do when they like someone else." Naruto answered as he evaded eye contact  
  
"I see. Does that mean you like me?" Gaara asked  
  
Naruto's body jerked up suddenly, as he looked straight into Gaara's eyes with a serious look.  
  
"Hell no! Not like that anyway" Naruto answered  
  
"I see" Gaara let out  
  
"Is that why you keep me alive, to answer that stupid question?" Naruto asked  
  
"Iie. I've been wanting to see you ever since the Chuunin exams." Gaara told the blond  
  
"Why?" Naruto asked  
  
"Because, the words you spoke to me during our fight, in your Village made me think." Gaara answered  
  
"First of all, I'm surprised you even paid attention, second since when do you let other's words affect you and last, Leaf Village isn't my Village anymore" Naruto informed the boy  
  
"Aren't you the one that always yells out how you're going to become a great Hokage?" Gaara reminded the blond  
  
"Urusai! No one could understand me! NO ONE! They only hate me so I did them and the whole Village what they wanted, I left! Their stupid little demon finally left!" Naruto yelled out as he stared at Gaara with both rage and sadness in his eyes  
  
"What happened? What did they do to you?" Gaara asked, without showing any emotions  
  
"None of your god damned business! I just hate that Village and everything in it! JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!" Naruto yelled out his answer  
  
Gaara lifted an eyebrow as he saw the rage the blond had within himself. Gaara walked towards the door and prepared to leave, only this time, Naruto didn't get in his way.  
  
"I'll come back in an hour. Don't do anything stupid. I don't feel like hunting you down today." Gaara stated as he left and closed the door behind him  
  
"As if I have anywhere else to go ........." Naruto thought as he fell to his knees  
  
============================================================================ ======================  
  
*Konoha Village*  
  
Gai's team finally arrived at the meeting place, as now all three teams were together.  
  
"Sasuke-kun!" Both Ino and Sakura yelled out to him  
  
"Don't they know this isn't the time to be all over him" Shikamaru thought as Chouji continued to eat his chips  
  
Kurenai slapped her forehead, as Shino and Kiba were still at it, fighting, well Kiba was the one fighting mostly. Shino on the other hand made some remarks from time to time which pissed Kiba totally off.  
  
Hinata stayed next to her own sensei, not wanting to interfere or say something out of place. Her main focus was mostly on Naruto, and now the appearance of her cousin, Neji.  
  
"What took you so long Gai?" Asuma asked as he smoked another cigarette  
  
"The boys needed to have some time together" Gai replied with a shiny smile  
  
"Everyone gather now. We'll give you all the information that Hokage-sama gave us." Kurenai ordered as the genins gathered together  
  
Neji, Shikamaru and Sasuke all leaned against nearby trees, as the girls all sticked together. Shino, Kiba and Chouji stayed near their own sensei, waiting for the information and their new mission.  
  
As the Juunins explained their mission, all three boys leaning against the tree were lost within their own personal thoughts.  
  
Neji's eyes looked up at the sky, as a few birds flew by.  
  
"I hope that I can help you as you helped me Naruto-san........." Neji thought  
  
Shikamaru had his hands in his pockets, as he found himself staring in the sky, looking up at the clouds.  
  
"You better not be too troublesome when we find you........." Shikamaru thought  
  
Sasuke, paid no attention what so ever to what the Juunin were talking about, as the conversation he had with Neji sank in him. He then recalled the last time, he and Naruto had a serious conversation that ended their rivalry and friendship.  
  
"Deep down, I knew you were right dobe I just didn't want to hear it and face the truth ........." Sasuke thought as he closed his eyes for a few seconds =========================================================================== =======================  
  
FLASHBACK  
  
After the incident on the hospital roof, Kakashi had a serious talk with Sasuke concerning hurting your own comrades. (This is important to have read the manga to know the conversation that happened between the two )  
  
"Sasuke, go talk to Naruto. You need to talk things out with each other." Kakashi stated  
  
Sasuke looked away from his sensei, but nodded that he would visit Naruto to talk about things.  
  
--- Hours Later---  
  
Sasuke had thought a lot of what he could say to the blond, despite the fact that he knew his change of behavior was due to the sudden reappearance of his older brother, Itachi, deep down he knew he was the one acting like an idiot and not Naruto.  
  
---Naruto's Apartment---  
  
After hours, he finally decided to go see Naruto at his apartment. He stood several minutes in front of the door, unsure if he should actually knock.  
  
"What do you want?" A male voice asked  
  
Sasuke looked in front of him, to see that Naruto's door was open and the blond stood there, and watched him.  
  
"We need to talk" Sasuke told the blond  
  
"Just talk? Are you sure you're not going to try and fight me again?" Naruto stated  
  
"Baka just let me in" Sasuke demanded with serious eyes  
  
"Welcome back bastard" Naruto mentioned as he stood aside to let Sasuke enter.  
  
Sasuke entered Naruto's apartment, while Naruto closed the door behind him.  
  
"You can sit you know" Naruto informed the other boy  
  
"I'll stand" Sasuke replied  
  
Naruto rolled his eyes as he sat down on his couch, and faced Sasuke, that leaned against the wall, hands in his pockets.  
  
"Well, talk" Naruto said as he crossed his arms  
  
"I shouldn't of fought you back there ......... I wasn't in my normal state ........." Sasuke started as he avoided any eye contact with the blond  
  
"Kinda noticed that. But don't worry about it, I actually accepted to fight you anyway, so it's my fault too" Naruto said  
  
Sasuke stopped completely moving for a few seconds, as he realized Naruto was quite open and honest, not being his usual stubborn idiot.  
  
"Guess I'll leave then." Sasuke said as he made his way towards the door  
  
Naruto was surprised by the boy's sudden rush to get out, as Naruto grabbed Sasuke by the wrist, to prevent him form leaving.  
  
"Let go of me" Sasuke ordered as he faced the blond  
  
"Listen you bastard I know you hate me, but why do you want to kill Itachi that much?" Naruto asked  
  
The moment Naruto simply asked that question, Sasuke's fist connected with his jaw, as Naruto took a few steps backwards.  
  
"You don't know anything!" Sasuke yelled out as his Sharingan appeared  
  
"Then why don't you explain it to me then!" Naruto yelled back as he rubbed his chin  
  
"You wouldn't understand dobe! You never had any parents or anyone to care about you! I had to watch the death of my parents and my entire clan being killed off during 24 hours not just once but twice! That bastard only left me alive to hunt him down and that's what I'm going to do!" Sasuke yelled out in anger  
  
"And then what?" Naruto asked with a serious tone  
  
"What do you mean?" Sasuke asked a bit confused  
  
"Once Itachi's dead what are you going to do?" Naruto repeated himself  
  
"The resurrection of my clan" Sasuke answered  
  
"And after that? What are you going to do?" Naruto asked again  
  
"That's none of your damn business anyway!" Sasuke yelled back as his fist closed  
  
"Listen Sasuke, if you just go on only wanting to kill Itachi, you'll become exactly what he wanted you to be. You keep saying how much you hate him but why do you do exactly what he wants you to do huh? You're not strong enough to go against him alone right now!" Naruto stated  
  
"I'm stronger than you! I'm strong enough to kill him alone, I don't need any help especially not a dead last like you." Sasuke yelled out in anger  
  
Naruto's hand flinched a little by the last comment and this got him even madder.  
  
"Going alone against Itachi you'll loose! Strength doesn't come from the hate Sasuke, but from protecting what you care most of. Let me at least help you in any way ........." Naruto started to say  
  
"Help me? I don't need help! Especially yours!" Sasuke yelled out  
  
"Look, even though we're rivals, I've always considered you like a friend, someone I could trust. Maybe you don't feel the same way, but I'm serious. I know you would never ask for help, so that's why I'm offering it. Besides we'll both get strong, and then you can go kick Itachi's ass and I'll just watch." Naruto continued to say  
  
Sasuke glared at Naruto with such intense anger and rage Naruto took a few steps back, but despite the fact he could get his ass kicked and beat like hell, he knew Sasuke needed to hear it, to hear the truth that others wouldn't dare to tell him.  
  
"Snap out of it you bastard! If you turn your back on your friends and comrades, become cold like ice, you'll become just like Itachi! Is that what you want? To be exactly what you despise Sasuke? Because if you continue like that that's what you're going to become, consumed by darkness and just be like your brother" Naruto finished off, as he waited for Sasuke's anger to hit him at full force  
  
Sasuke quickly walked towards Naruto, as he grabbed the blond by the collar. His Sharingan was very intense, and it showed he was beyond pissed over what the blond had told him.  
  
"Sometimes it hurts to hear the truth, trust me I know. The pain of being alone, to be hated and all, I know it all too well. But if you're going to kill your brother, then at least have some dignity and don't become exactly like him ........." Naruto mumbled with determination in his eyes  
  
Sasuke reacted quickly, as he punched Naruto's stomach with great strength.  
  
The blond fell to his knees, as he tried to catch his breath from the punch.  
  
"You of all people could never understand what I went through! And you better stay out of my life from now on!" Sasuke yelled at him as he walked away and headed out of Naruto's apartment  
  
Sasuke left as he closed the door behind him with extreme force, slamming it.  
  
---Minutes Later---  
  
Naruto managed to get up on his feet, as he made his way to his couch to lay on it. He took a deep breath, as he found himself staring at the ceiling.  
  
"You're wrong Sasuke, I understand more than anyone else about how you fell ........." Naruto mumbled as he fell asleep  
  
---Uchiha House---  
  
Sasuke came in still enraged by Naruto's words, as he continuously punched the nearest wall to him.  
  
"Damn you Naruto! DAMN YOU!" Sasuke yelled out as his fist started to bleed from all the punching  
  
END OF FLASHBACK  
  
============================================================================ ======================  
  
*Konoha Village*  
  
Sasuke was lost within his thoughts, when Sakura and Ino walked towards him,  
  
"Sasuke-kun are you alright?" Sakura asked  
  
"Concentrate on finding the dobe Sakura" Sasuke coldly said as he walked passed the duo  
  
"What's wrong with him?" Ino asked her pink haired friend  
  
"I don't know" Sakura replied as she found herself staring at her comrades back  
  
The genins gathered to their respected teams, as each Juunin agreed on the conditions stated.  
  
"Listen up, in all times, you stay in your group. Each team has their own territory to cover. Gai's the North sector, Asuma's the West sector, as for my team, we have the South sector." Kurenai explained to the others  
  
"What about the East sector?" Sakura asked  
  
"Kakashi will cover that part with Jiraiya-sama" Gai answered  
  
Each team knew what was left to do, as they all went in their own respected direction to start for the search.  
  
============================================================================ ======================  
  
*Sand Village, Gaara's House*  
  
After an hour, Gaara returned to his room to have another talk with the blond, as he wanted to know more for an unknown reason, when he heard loud sounds coming from it.  
  
To Gaara's surprise, Naruto hit the wall continuously with his bare fists. Gaara could only stare at the blond when something caught his eyes from Naruto's face.  
  
"Naruto is .........crying?" Gaara thought as his eyes widened  
  
Naruto continued to beat the crap out of the wall, not caring about his bloody hands, when he felt the presence of another within the room.  
  
Naruto turned around, eyes soaked in tears, bloody fists, he looked straight into Gaara's eyes and cried.  
  
"You were right Gaara ........." Naruto mumbled  
  
"What are you ........." Gaara started to ask  
  
"Back then, people like us, can't live in peace in a world like this......... It's kill or be killed.........They fear and hate what they can't control" Naruto continued to say  
  
Gaara looked a bit shocked by the words Naruto had just spoken. Obviously something happened to him in the Leaf Village, enough to be able to break the soul of Naruto.  
  
Naruto fell to his knees, as the tears continued to fall, he wrapped his hands around his head, as his forehead touched the floor.  
  
After a few minutes, Naruto felt as if he was being pulled onto something. Throughout his blurry vision, he noticed Gaara had kneel in front of him, and pulling him closer to him.  
  
Gaara placed Naruto's head against his shoulder, as one hand support the blond's head, the other held him in place.  
  
Naruto wasn't too sure how to respond since he knew Gaara didn't know much about being loved due to his past.  
  
"Naze?" Naruto asked weakly  
  
"Because the one person who ever loved me, did this when I use to cry." Gaara explained  
  
Gaara felt Naruto's hands move around his waist, as the blond cried even more hearing such words.  
  
"I don't know what happened, but I'll protect you, Uzumaki Naruto" Gaara stated  
  
Naruto lifted his head to look into Gaara's eyes, although his own were very water like.  
  
"Why would you want to protect me ?" Naruto mumbled  
  
"Something inside me hurts. It's been a long time since I had this feeling. And either than her, you're the only person who can awaken this pain in my chest." Gaara informed the boy  
  
"What do you mean?" Naruto asked through his sobbing  
  
"You are someone special to me" Gaara replied  
  
Naruto's eyes widened by the phrase Gaara had just spoken, as Gaara pulled the blond closer to his body and started to rock him back an forth slowly.  
  
"I'm someone special .........?" Naruto repeated to himself as he let his eyes closed and felt the warmth that embraced him  
  
TBC  
  
============================================================================ ======================  
  
At last, crappy chapter though sorry about that. My writer's block hasn't changed for two weeks and it's so hard to write something good, so hopefully this wasn't too boring.  
  
Hopefully the characters weren't too OCC you know. Gaara's hard to let him be like he is, but then there wouldn't be much Naruto x Gaara huh?  
  
Well I tried my best to not make this too crappy and I hope you still liked it a tiny bit.  
  
The reviews  
  
despairing tears : hope you like dthis chapter, I keep rewritting the whole thing but to me it seems to suck each time lol  
  
Sailor Fortune : Well unfortuantely Gaara didn't do much yet, sorry about that  
  
Drownin' in my Tears : glad you liked the ending  
  
Silver neo : you remind me of another reviewer I have, writes me these cute funny stories, they make my day you have no idea. So keep it up!!!  
  
Silverknight7 : Naruto has a gift to get himself in those situations lol  
  
Rubymoon17 : I actually thought about the first time Sasu and Naru kissed so I thought I,d make it funny for you people who read it sorry for the last update  
  
Mashed Potato Master : I updated as you ordered sir!!!  
  
Little Leila : well give me some time but slowly Sasuke seems to regret all the things he said, hopefully in this chapter it expained it a little.  
  
Red rose : many people loved that little scene where Naruto accidentally kissed Gaara  
  
Ladyvirgo : happy to know you liked Neji standing up to Sasuke and confronting him about what Naruto can do to some darker people.  
  
PhO3Nix cRAz3d : no worries Naruto stays with Gaara. I'm very glad to know you like my fic, continue to review and read and give comments!!  
  
SoulSilencer13 : well people wanted some Gaara Naruto so I had to start with something so there it is. Hopefully people will like the ending of this chapter.  
  
Iceheart19 : unfortunately I'm only good at writting and suck at drawing lol. Anyway, people have other things in mind then being mad at Sasuke. Neji proved in his own point how he felt about Sasuke and all.  
  
Kuroi hikari : unfortunately he didn't do anything erverted ......... yet that is ( evil laughs ) I got some good stuff instored for this couple, so keep on reading and reviewing  
  
Nikkler : I'm glad to know people like how all the other Naruto characters react, I'm trying my best to update as soon as I can, but with 7 stories writing kinda takes it's time lol  
  
Okamiiyasha : I got tired of waiting for someone to write it so I wrote it instead!!! Glad you liked it  
  
Asuka : Well in the Anime and Manga Kankuro is spelled Kankuro and not Kankurou, most fics are written like this as well, so sorry about that.  
  
Draconnis / jadetiger : thank you for supporting my fics, I highly appreaciate it.  
  
Next Chapter :  
  
Naruto explains what happened to Gaara and reveals his biggest secret, the Kyubi!!! How will he react?  
  
READ AND REVIEW PLEASE  
  
Comments are most than welcomed  
  
Thank you  
  
Ookima 


	6. Revelations

A New Path Chapter 6 : Revelations  
  
Synopsis : Naruto explains what happened to Gaara and reveals his biggest secret, the Kyubi!!! The teams in search for Naruto, find something to aid their search.  
  
Pairings : Main pairing will be Gaara x Naruto. A little tiny bit of Sasuke x Naruto, along with maybe Kakashi x Iruka  
  
Disclaimer : I don't own Naruto but wish I did  
  
Important note : Contains shonen-ai, in other words boy loves boy, don't like then don't read  
  
Extra Information :  
  
- This takes place after the Chuunin exam, although, Sasuke never went to join Orochimaru.  
  
- Also, the fight between Sasuke and Naruto on the Hospital roof did occur.  
  
- Important to have read up to Volume 20 of the manga Naruto  
  
- Chidori - The Thousand Birds : This jutsu is Kakashi's sole original technique, originally formed for the use of assassination. The user, gathers such a large concentration of chakra in the had, that it becomes visible. Pushing the limits of the body, the user charges forward, the chakra amount growing, as does the incredible speed. The chakra becomes so powerful, that it becomes similar to a blade, and is able to cut through near anything. The attack creates a constant 'chi' noise, sounding like a thousand birds advancing towards you. The jutsu gained its name from this sound. This jutsu gained the nickname 'Lightning Edge' or, Raikiri - When Kakashi cut a bolt of lightning in half using it.  
  
- Kage Bunshin no Jutsu - Shadow Clone Skill : A forbidden jutsu, that creates clones - which are not just plain illusions (like the normal bunshin no jutsu). Each clone is an exact replica of Naruto, capable of attacking. A direct hit causes the clone to disappear.  
  
- Rasengan : The skill which Naruto learned within a week, from Jiraiya. Gathers chakra within the palm of your hand and makes a great deal of damage.  
  
- Byakugan - White Eyes : This jutsu is activated in the eyes, much like the Sharingan. Sharingan actually developed from Byakugan. This jutsu allows the user's vision to become 360 degrees. The user is able to see fully around them, and all their surroundings. Byakugan also has the ability to see objects, and view the inner coil system of a person's body, and in advanced cases, the Chakra Holes. Using this, the user can attack the inner organs of a person, and do high amounts of damage  
  
- baka = idiot -  
  
- dobe = dead last -  
  
- naruhodo = I see -  
  
- Chikushou = damn / dammit -  
  
- naze = why -  
  
- hai = yes / yeah -  
  
- Arigatou = Thank You -  
  
- Okaasan = Mother -  
  
- Gomen = Sorry -  
  
- Urousai = Shut up -  
  
============================================================================ ==========  
  
*Sand Village, Gaara's House*  
  
After an hour, Gaara returned to his room to have another talk with the blond, as he wanted to know more for an unknown reason, when he heard loud sounds coming from it.  
  
To Gaara's surprise, Naruto hit the wall continuously with his bare fists. Gaara could only stare at the blond when something caught his eyes from Naruto's face.  
  
"Naruto is .........crying?" Gaara thought as his eyes widened  
  
Naruto continued to beat the crap out of the wall, not caring about his bloody hands, when he felt the presence of another within the room.  
  
Naruto turned around, eyes soaked in tears, bloody fists, he looked straight into Gaara's eyes and cried.  
  
"You were right Gaara ........." Naruto mumbled  
  
"What are you ........." Gaara started to ask  
  
"Back then, people like us, can't live in peace in a world like this......... It's kill or be killed.........They fear and hate what they can't control" Naruto continued to say  
  
Gaara looked a bit shocked by the words Naruto had just spoken. Obviously something happened to him in the Leaf Village, enough to be able to break the soul of Naruto.  
  
Naruto fell to his knees, as the tears continued to fall, he wrapped his hands around his head, as his forehead touched the floor.  
  
After a few minutes, Naruto felt as if he was being pulled onto something. Throughout his blurry vision, he noticed Gaara had kneel in front of him, and pulling him closer to him.  
  
Gaara placed Naruto's head against his shoulder, as one hand support the blond's head, the other held him in place.  
  
Naruto wasn't too sure how to respond since he knew Gaara didn't know much about being loved due to his past.  
  
"Naze?" Naruto asked weakly  
  
"Because the one person who ever loved me, did this when I use to cry." Gaara explained  
  
Gaara felt Naruto's hands move around his waist, as the blond cried even more hearing such words.  
  
"I don't know what happened, but I'll protect you, Uzumaki Naruto" Gaara stated  
  
Naruto lifted his head to look into Gaara's eyes, although his own were very water like.  
  
"Why would you want to protect me ?" Naruto mumbled  
  
"Something inside me hurts. It's been a long time since I had this feeling. And either than her, you're the only person who can awaken this pain in my chest." Gaara informed the boy  
  
"What do you mean?" Naruto asked through his sobbing  
  
"You are someone special to me" Gaara replied  
  
Naruto's eyes widened by the phrase Gaara had just spoken, as Gaara pulled the blond closer to his body and started to rock him back an forth slowly.  
  
"I'm someone special .........?" Naruto repeated to himself as he let his eyes closed and felt the warmth that embraced him  
  
============================================================================ ======================  
  
*Hokage's House*  
  
Tsunade stood near the window as her eyes scanned the entrance of the forest. She worried a lot about the blond ninja, which she had come to care for like a little brother.  
  
It's at the moment, when she was about to feel depressed again, that Kakashi and Jiraiya finally arrived.  
  
"Sorry for taking so long ........." Kakashi started as he rubbed the back of his head  
  
"Keep your excuses later. Right now, we need to go find Naruto." Tsunade stated as she had a very serious expression  
  
"So the brat actually just left?" Jiraiya asked still doubting Kakashi's earlier words  
  
Tsunade stayed silent once the question was asked. Jiraiya took her silence as the answer, as he lowered his head a little before Kakashi broke the silence.  
  
"Have the teams left?" Kakashi asked in hopes to change the mood in the room  
  
"They just left, you and Jiraiya will cover the south section." Tsunade replied  
  
Immediately, Jiraiya opposed the decision as he took a step forward.  
  
"I disagree. If the brat wanted to leave, he wouldn't go south, it's unknown territory to him. He'll probably go somewhere familiar at first." Jiraiya stated  
  
"Unfortunately I can't go by your hunches Jiraiya, if we can't find Naruto and he falls into the wrong hands, we're in grave danger ........." Tsunade started  
  
Jiraiya looked away, as he knew his former comrade had duties towards the Village and had to think up a plan fast.  
  
"Hokage-sama, we understand, and if you don't mind we'll go right now." Kakashi commented  
  
"Jiraiya, if you do find Naruto, please don't kill him right away." Tsunade requested with a small smile  
  
"No problem. I'll leave the killing to you, but he's getting a beating form me." Jiraiya told her  
  
All three knew that Jiraiya meant it as a small joke to lighten up the mood, as they all let out a small smile before Kakashi and Jiraiya vanished to start their own search.  
  
"You better be safe Naruto" Tsunade told herself as she returned to her window to watch the forest  
  
============================================================================ ======================  
  
*Sand Village, Gaara's House*  
  
Gaara still held tightly to the blond, until this one slowly pulled back and sat down in front of Gaara.  
  
Naruto used his sleeves to wipe off the tears that he had, and tried hard to not make any new ones.  
  
"Do you still want to know?" Naruto asked  
  
Gaara raised an eyebrow as he had no clue what so ever, what Naruto meant. Naruto saw the slight confusion in the other boy's eyes and immediately rephrased.  
  
"Why I left Konoha, why I hate it ........." Naruto trailed off as he avoided any eye contact  
  
"Don't explain what you don't want to" Gaara commented  
  
"For once, I feel like I can tell you the truth ......... So, you'll be the first to see and know, who Uzumaki Naruto really is......... Before I end it........." Naruto started as he stood up but never left the eyes of Gaara  
  
Naruto unzipped his jumpsuit top, and lowered it to his waist. To this point, he took off his shirt as well, leaving him nude, above the waist. Gaara looked confused as he crossed his arms and waited for the information the boy would tell him.  
  
"Explain why you're half naked?" Gaara asked  
  
"Just shut up and listen to me. After this I'll just leave you the hell alone." Naruto warned the boy  
  
Gaara's eyes twitched a little, since in his perspective, Naruto had given him an order. Instead, he ignored it, for now, and stared at the blond, as he waited for this new information.  
  
Naruto joined his hands together, as he called forth his normal chakra, in hopes that the seal on his stomach would appear.  
  
After a minute, the seal started to appear around Naruto's navel as Gaara leaned a bit forward, eyes a bit surprised by the mark the boy bared.  
  
Naruto then opened his eyes to see that the seal must have appeared due to Gaara's expression, and then he undid his hands, to place one on the seal.  
  
"Have you ever heard of the great nine-tails demon fox called Kyubi?" Naruto asked  
  
"Only rumors" Gaara replied as he took back his normal neutral expression  
  
"13 years ago, Kyubi attacked Konoha, my former Village, for reasons that are still unknown. Many ninjas died, as they couldn't defeat it, until the Fourth Hokage came up with a plan." Naruto continued  
  
"The Fourth killed it" Gaara commented  
  
"Actually, they didn't have what it takes to kill such a demon, so instead the Fourth sacrificed his life and sealed the demon away in a new born baby." Naruto corrected  
  
"Seal the demon?" Gaara let out in a bit of surprise  
  
"Hai......... It was the only way they could think of back then. In order to seal Kyubi away, they sacrificed the baby to hold him within his own body. That baby, was me........." Naruto trailed off a bit  
  
Several minutes passed, as Naruto didn't dare to look into the eyes of Gaara.  
  
"From the moment you were born, your fate was sealed to bare a demon as well. Just like me." Gaara broke the silence  
  
"But you knew about your demon......... Me, I didn't get to know until last year ........." Naruto replied  
  
"They ........." Gaara started when Naruto interrupted him  
  
"Ever since I was born, I lived alone in my apartment. I was always alone, but it didn't stop there. The adults always gave me these cold glares and treated me like a monster. So of course, the children followed within the steps of their parents, they all ignored me and hated me, although they didn't know the truth. I kept smiling and played pranks to get attention, I wanted someone to just acknowledge me ........." Naruto started to explain  
  
"Then why did you stay there when you were unwanted?" Gaara asked out of curiosity  
  
"Well, I was the only one who failed the exam. And this other teacher, Mizuki, told me if I could show this special Jutsu to Iruka-sensei I would pass the exam and become a real ninja. I stole the scroll of seals and learned my famous Kage Bunshin No Jutsu. But then Iruka-sensei found me, as well as Kizuki. It ended up that Mizuki wanted me to steal it so he could use it to his own advantages. It's on that night, that I learned why everyone treated me the way they did. On that night, I discovered the Kyubi had been sealed within my very body. After some time, Iruka-sensei acknowledged me as Uzumaki Naruto and not as the demon. I then graduated and that was the most happiest day of my life." Naruto continued  
  
"Then why leave now?" Gaara asked  
  
"Well after you guys attacked Konoha with the snake freak, Sasuke's older brother appeared in the Village in search of me ......... Or more specifically he wanted the great power of the nine-tails. Sasuke then appeared, something about revenge form his clan, I didn't actually understand it much, but he made it clear for me to not interfere. Sasuke actually ended up in the hospital and I felt responsible. The moment I went to visit him, he wanted to fight me. And so, on the hospital roof, we fought, Chidori versus Rasengan. If Kakashi hadn't appeared in time to break us off, we probably would've of killed each other. I guess Sasuke saw I was becoming stronger, but the truth is, the person I wanted most of acknowledge me, was him ........." Naruto explained as he took a few steps back to lean against the wall for support and looked up at the ceiling  
  
"You left because of the Uchiha?" gaara asked  
  
"Iie, he was the icing on the cake. I've always hid behind my mask, always smile and never let out my real emotions. That day, when me and Sasuke fought again, he simply touched that part that I tried to hard to hide and ignore......... He was right, because of what I am, I can't become the greatest Hokage or even a good ninja. You saving my ass earlier proves that. So last night, I just couldn't take it anymore and left." Naruto mumbled towards the end  
  
Gaara's eyes never left the fragile blond, as Naruto simply closed his and took a deep breath.  
  
"Everyone would be better off if I just killed myself ......... At least then, I'd maybe be in peace........." Naruto murmured  
  
============================================================================ ======================  
  
*Forest, Gai's Team*  
  
Gai's team had a certain lead over the others as they didn't lose time to pick up the pace in finding the blond. Gai came to a stop as his three student soon followed him as well.  
  
"Neji, Take a look around." Gai demanded  
  
Neji brought his hands together and called forth his Byakugan. The nerves near his eyes appeared, as Tenten simply played with a kunai out of boredom. Sasuke still kept a certain distance, but was in a hurry to go on ahead.  
  
"What do you see?" Gai asked  
  
"A kilometer from here, there's a strange trail of chakra" Neji informed his sensei  
  
"Could it be dobe?" Sasuke asked  
  
"Iie" Neji replied  
  
"The only way to find that out is to check it out! Lead the way Neji!" Gai yelled out with a smile  
  
Neji led the way, as Gai and Tenten followed. Sasuke stayed there for a few seconds lost in his thoughts.  
  
"He gives me the creeps" Sasuke thought when he joined up the team  
  
============================================================================ ======================  
  
*In The Forest, Kurenai's team*  
  
Kiba led the team due to his and Akamaru's noses. Akamaru stops on a tree as he barks back at Kiba.  
  
"You smell it too eh?" Kiba replied as he stopped on the same branch as his dog  
  
Kurenai, Hinata and Shino stopped nearby as well, as Akamaru continued to sniff the air.  
  
"What does Akamaru say?" Hinata asked still a bit shy  
  
"Akamaru picked up Naruto's smell because of the wind. Seems like he's scent is stronger to where that weird teacher's way." Kiba answered  
  
"You mean Gai-sensei?" Hinata asked  
  
Kiba nods, as Shino remains silent. Kurenai then placed a hand on Hinata's shoulder, as the girl looked up at her sensei.  
  
"Hinata, could you take a look towards Gai's direction?" Kurenai requested from her student  
  
"Hai" Hinata replied as she joined her hands together and activated her Byakugan  
  
"Can she really see them from this position?" Kiba asked  
  
"Although we departed in different directions, our point of original was the same. Gai shouldn't be too far off." Kurenai answered as she waited an answer from Hinata  
  
"Neji-nisan seems to have found something........." Hinata informed her team  
  
"Could you know what it is?" Shino asked, hands still stuffed into his pockets  
  
"There seems to be a great amount of chakra dispersed to where he's leading them........." Hinata replied  
  
"What do we do then?" Kiba asked  
  
"So far Naruto's trail leads us towards Gai's direction, we'll join up with them. Kiba, you and Akamaru will lead the way" Kurenai informed her students  
  
All nodded as Kiba and Akamaru leaped from tree to tree and headed towards Gai's direction, as the rest followed them.  
  
============================================================================ ======================  
  
*In The Forest, Asuma's Team*  
  
Asuma and Shikamaru led the way on the ground, as Ino, Chouji and Sakura followed only a meter behind.  
  
Suddenly, Shikamaru came to a stop, as Asuma was not far behind his student.  
  
"Shikamaru! Why the hell are you stopping!?" Ino practically yelled at him  
  
"Keep quiet" Asuma ordered them  
  
Ino was about to object when Sakura covered her rival's mouth with her hand. Chouji simply stood there and already started a new bag of potato chips.  
  
Shikamaru kneeled on the ground as he placed his hand over the soil as if he was inspecting something.  
  
"What do you think Shikamaru?" Asuma asked his student as he puffed some smoke  
  
"Seems like a few ninjas were here, but something happened since their footprints are blurry towards that direction." Shikamaru started to explain as he stood back up  
  
Shikamaru followed the footprints and came to yet another stop. Droplets of blood could be found on the ground, as well as a new footprint was added. He then looked a bit more to find a kunai on the ground. He picked it up and removed the soil that covered it.  
  
"These ninjas were running after someone, and that someone was Naruto." Shikamaru informed the team  
  
"How the hell can you know it was Naruto!?" Both Ino and Sakura yelled at him  
  
Shikamaru sticks a finger into his ear to clear out the shout of both girls, as he turns around and shows them a kunai.  
  
"Because he was stupid enough to engrave his name on this, which is good for us for a change" Shikamara pointed the kunai to them  
  
"He what!?" Ino yelled out in surprise  
  
While Ino cursed mentally the blond, Sakura couldn't help but smile a little since this was indeed the Naruto they knew.  
  
"My guess is, Naruto was at the wrong place at the wrong time. These ninjas didn't want to be interrupted or seen, and so the chase was on." Shikamaru explained  
  
"It seems that Naruto was running towards North. So it's best if we head there and join Gai's team" Asuma mentioned  
  
"So we go there then?" Chouji asked  
  
Asuma nodded his head, as he took a few more puffs out of his cigarette. Shikamaru stared at the sky, or what he could see of it through the great trees, as Sakura and Ino seemed to argue a bit about Sasuke and Naruto. Chouji simply continued to eat a lot, as the team now headed towards the North sector, to join up with Gai's team.  
  
============================================================================ ======================  
  
*Sand Village, Gaara's House*  
  
Gaara's eyes never left the fragile blond, as Naruto simply closed his and took a deep breath.  
  
"Everyone would be better off if I just killed myself ......... At least then, I'd maybe be in peace........." Naruto murmured  
  
"So it finally caught up with you" Gaara commented  
  
"Aren't you any bit scared of surprised or anything!" Naruto shouted  
  
"Why should I be afraid of something like that when I bare a demon as well?." Gaara replied  
  
Naruto stayed silent as he was a bit surprised by Gaara's reply to him being the host of Kyubi.  
  
"Doesn't change anything, besides that bastard Sasuke will be more than happy that I'm dead, just like the rest of the Village." Naruto commented with some anger and sadness  
  
Gaara uncrossed his arms and stood up, as he made his way towards the door. Naruto heard the sounds and opened his eyes to see the back of Gaara that was leaving.  
  
"Where are you going!?" Naruto asked him as he took steps towards the other boy  
  
Gaara barely turned his head to the side to catch a glimpse of the blond before he answered.  
  
"I'm going to kill that Uchiha Sasuke" Gaara replied  
  
Gaara prepared to leave the room, when he heard a strange sound. He turned around to know what it meant, as Naruto had crossed his arms against his stomach and almost on his knees, head lowered to the ground.  
  
"What's ........." Gaara was about to ask, when Naruto lifted back his head up  
  
Naruto lifted his head back up as he tried to stand up properly. But the expression the blond had, Gaara had never seen nor understood. Naruto was laughing. He laughed so much that tears started to fall.  
  
"Gomen" Naruto managed to let out as he wiped off the tears on his cheeks  
  
"Why are you laughing?" Gaara asked a bit confused  
  
"Because of what you just said, you sounded so serious" Naruto let out with another laugh  
  
"I was" Gaara replied with a serious expression  
  
Naruto swallowed hard, as his smile vanished when Gaara said the last phrase.  
  
"Why would you do that?" Naruto asked  
  
"Because he seems to be the source of your pain" Gaara answered  
  
"Don't go and do that! I don't want you to die because of me! I'm not even worth it!" Naruto yelled out in anger  
  
"The only one who could defeat me was you" Gaara commented  
  
"But still......... Nothing good could come out of it. The reason I left is to be left alone for good, so I'll just get out of your way and leave this Village so you can go back on your normal killing spree or something" Naruto stated as he prepared to leave the room  
  
As Naruto prepared to walk by Gaara, the sand-nin grabbed the blonds hand to then pull him back inside the room.  
  
"I told you earlier, I have no desire to hunt you down" Gaara repeated his earlier phrase  
  
"Why can't any of you understand how I fell!? I'm tired of this world and all the people who live in it! Everyone will be happy that their demon is dead anyway! So just let me die in peace!" Naruto yelled out as he grabbed a kunai and prepared to stab himself in the chest  
  
Naruto closed his eyes tightly, as he pointed the kunai towards his heart. He thrust his hands forward to push the kunai into his chest, as he waited for the pain to arrive.  
  
As the seconds passed, Naruto never felt the pain, but knew his kunai was embedded into something, unless he couldn't feel the pain anymore and died automatically.  
  
His eyes remained closed, but focused on the sounds around him, something that kept dripping on the floor. Could it be his blood?  
  
"Naze.........?" Gaara asked as he seemed in a bit of pain himself  
  
Naruto shot open his eyes to see what actually happened as to his surprise, a sand barrier stood in front of him, and that was the reason the kunai hadn't pierced his chest yet.  
  
As the sand dropped back to the floor, Naruto saw Gaara that seemed in a bit of pain, since the boy had a hand pressed against the sigh 'love' on his forehead.  
  
"Gaara........." Naruto let out in shock with wide eyes  
  
"I told you, that you were special to me, and I will let no one harm you, not even if it's yourself........." Gaara mumbled as the sand slowly retreated back into the gourd  
  
The slight pain Gaara felt slowly left, as Naruto fell on his ass, still surprised by the action Gaara had just done for him.  
  
"I thought the sand only protected you, why did it ........." Naruto mumbled still in shock  
  
"What's wrong Okaasan?" Gaara let out with a strained voice as he fell to his knees  
  
"H .........Hey, what's wrong Gaara?" Naruto asked as he crawled on his hands and feet towards Gaara  
  
"Why? Why did you do that Ookasan" Gaara repeated over and over again  
  
Gaara was down to his knees, as his body began to shake, and his eyes showed that he was partly afraid. Naruto was unsure to what to do as he placed his hands gently on Gaara's shoulder and shook him a little to try and understand what was going on.  
  
"TEMARI! KANKURO! GET YOUR ASSES IN HERE!!! SOMETHING'S WRONG WITH GAARA" Naruto yelled out in hopes to be heard  
  
TBC  
  
============================================================================ ======================  
  
This chapter took forever! Lately I write the chapters down but when I read them again to make sure they're ok, to me they seem crummy. Oh well, hopefully you liked it.  
  
Reviews  
  
Mashed Potato Master : Sorry for saying you were a guy, was a bit hard to know due to the 'master' name. Thanks for specifying.  
  
SoulRetreiver13 : Well some people wanted a few things to happen so it did, but I think it's what Gaara would've of done in time. But I do try my best for him to not be too OCC. Update your stories too cuz I can't wait to read the next chapters  
  
Silver Neo : I laughed a lot again at your review, they are so entertaining you know? So funny about the essay and he didn't want to. Continue the great mini stories!  
  
JadeTiger : I'd say Gaara is the character that's the hardest to write about, sicne people like him that way but then if you want him to fall in love with Naruto, well you gotta go a bit OCC but not too much, hope you liked this chapter  
  
Someone / Peter Kim /insanechildfanfic / kuroi hikari / Luna / litch Seiger / Jane / silverknight7 / redrose / drownin' in tears : thank you for staying with me so far and reviewing highly appreaciated.  
  
Shitsumon : hopefully things will turn out ok  
  
Arbil : I agree with you 100%. If Gaara isn't a tiny bit OCC then there wouldn't be any Naruto x Gaara loving on this site!!  
  
Rubymoon17 : sequel of to the dark side has been published and I do still have writer's block unfortunately  
  
Nikkler : I updated as fast as I could. Could always check my info page to know where I'm at with each story and upcoming ones.  
  
Shadow eclipse : well it's more like a two part now, so I had to cut it there unless you people wanted to wait another 2 weeks, hope you don't mind.  
  
Next Chapter :  
  
What's going on with Gaara!? And what will Kankuro and Temari say or do to our poor Naruto now? Plus, Asuma, Kurenai and Gai's team meet up at the place where a strange chakra emitted.  
  
THANK YOU EVERYONE  
  
Read and REVIEW  
  
Comments are always welcome  
  
Ookima 


	7. Leave

A New Path Chapter 7 : Leave  
  
Synopsis : What's going on with Gaara!? And what will Kankuro and Temari say or do to our poor Naruto now? Plus, Asuma, Kurenai and Gai's team meet up at the place where a strange chakra emitted.  
  
Pairings : Main pairing will be Gaara x Naruto. A little tiny bit of Sasuke x Naruto, along with maybe Kakashi x Iruka  
  
Disclaimer : I don't own Naruto but wish I did  
  
Important note : Contains shonen-ai, in other words boy loves boy, don't like then don't read  
  
Extra Information :  
  
- This takes place after the Chuunin exam, although, Sasuke never went to join Orochimaru.  
  
- Also, the fight between Sasuke and Naruto on the Hospital roof did occur.  
  
- Important to have read up to Volume 20 of the manga Naruto  
  
JAPANESE WORDS  
  
- baka = idiot -  
  
- dobe = dead last -  
  
- naruhodo = I see -  
  
- Chikushou = damn / dammit -  
  
- naze = why -  
  
- hai = yes / yeah -  
  
- Arigatou = Thank You -  
  
- Okaasan = Mother -  
  
- Gomen = Sorry -  
  
- Urousai = Shut up -  
  
============================================================================ ==========  
  
Naruto closed his eyes tightly, as he pointed the kunai towards his heart. He thrust his hands forward to push the kunai into his chest, as he waited for the pain to arrive.  
  
As the seconds passed, Naruto never felt the pain, but knew his kunai was embedded into something, unless he couldn't feel the pain anymore and died automatically.  
  
His eyes remained closed, but focused on the sounds around him, something that kept dripping on the floor. Could it be his blood?  
  
"Naze.........?" Gaara asked as he seemed in a bit of pain himself  
  
Naruto shot open his eyes to see what actually happened as to his surprise, a sand barrier stood in front of him, and that was the reason the kunai hadn't pierced his chest yet.  
  
As the sand dropped back to the floor, Naruto saw Gaara that seemed in a bit of pain, since the boy had a hand pressed against the sigh 'love' on his forehead.  
  
"Gaara........." Naruto let out in shock with wide eyes  
  
"I told you, that you were special to me, and I will let no one harm you, not even if it's yourself........." Gaara mumbled as the sand slowly retreated back into the gourd  
  
The slight pain Gaara felt slowly left, as Naruto fell on his ass, still surprised by the action Gaara had just done for him.  
  
"I thought the sand only protected you, why did it ........." Naruto mumbled still in shock  
  
"What's wrong Okaasan?" Gaara let out with a strained voice as he fell to his knees  
  
"H .........Hey, what's wrong Gaara?" Naruto asked as he crawled on his hands and feet towards Gaara  
  
"Why? Why did you do that Ookasan" Gaara repeated over and over again  
  
Gaara was down to his knees, as his body began to shake, and his eyes showed that he was partly afraid. Naruto was unsure to what to do as he placed his hands gently on Gaara's shoulder and shook him a little to try and understand what was going on.  
  
"TEMARI! KANKURO! GET YOUR ASSES IN HERE!!! SOMETHING'S WRONG WITH GAARA" Naruto yelled out in hopes to be heard  
  
---  
  
Naruto's eyes locked themselves with those of Gaara's, as the sand-nin pressed a hand against the sign love embedded on his forehead. The sand remained on the ground although it moved around Gaara, as it was getting ready to defend him.  
  
"Gaara, you gotta tell me what's wrong" Naruto repeated as his own eyes showed how worried he was  
  
"I don't understand........." Gaara let out as he then screamed and buried his head beneath his hands  
  
As Naruto lowered his head to try and take another look at Gaara, the bedroom door flew opened, as a panting Kankuro and Temari stood there, trying to catch their breath.  
  
Temari and Kankuro looked down on the floor, with wide eyes, when they saw their little brother that seemed in pain and Naruto not far, as they assumed the worse from the situation.  
  
Temari started to tremble as the first thought that crossed her mind was if the demon Shukaku had started to take over like that time where he and Naruto fought after the Chuunin Exams.  
  
Kankuro stared at his little brother and immediately rushed towards Naruto and grabbed him by the collar of his jumpsuit. Kankuro lifted him from the ground, as the boy's feet no longer touched the floor, with his hands on Kankuro's wrist and struggled to get out of puppet master's hold.  
  
"What the hell did you do to him!?" Kankuro yelled out and demanded an answer right away  
  
"I.........I don't know! He's been acting weird ever since I tried something!" Naruto explained as his eyes closed  
  
"What did you do!?" Kankuro asked again with a burning rage inside of him  
  
While Kankuro tormented poor Naruto for an answer of what happened, Temari managed to snap out of it, as she crawled towards Gaara to see how he was really doing.  
  
"Gaara, is it because of 'IT'?" Temari asked carefully as she placed a hand on Gaara's shoulder  
  
"Its.........Naruto........." Gaara mumbled as he had trouble breathing  
  
"Naruto?" Temari repeated as she looked up to meet her brother's gaze  
  
Upon hearing the word Naruto from both Gaara and Temari, Kankuro immediately assumed that it was Naruto's fault and somehow placed Gaara like that.  
  
"For the last time. What did you do to Gaara? And answer or else I brake your little neck for putting my little brother in pain again" Kankuro gave his last warning as he raised Naruto even higher  
  
Naruto didn't want to give the truth that he actually tried to kill himself and for some reason Gaara's sand prevented him from doing so. Kankuro tightened his grip around the blonde's neck as Naruto couldn't breath anymore.  
  
"Kankuro, don't kill him before we get the answer!" Temari reminded her brother  
  
The moment Gaara heard Naruto and kill in the same sentence, he raised his head, while a hand still firmly pressed against his forehead. Gaara tried to stand up but the pain he felt shot out through his entire body as he only managed to get on his knees.  
  
"Gaara, don't strain yourself" Temari noticed her little brother struggle  
  
Temari placed her hands on Gaara's shoulders to help him stand, but he immediately slapped them away and glared at the female, that now sat on her butt.  
  
"Put him down Kankuro" Gaara ordered his brother  
  
Kankuro turned his head to meet the deadly gaze of his little brother and swallowed hard.  
  
"Now" Gaara demanded as he stood up on his feet but had trouble to stand straight  
  
Kankuro didn't dare to go against Gaara, as he let go of Naruto and stepped away from the blond. Naruto was on his knees, one hand around his own neck, as the other was pressed against the floor, giving him the support he needed to not fall.  
  
Naruto was breathing fast as he coughed a little due to the lack of oxygen Kankuro had kept from him. Naruto finally opened his eyes and stared at Kankuro and then Gaara.  
  
Gaara tried to take a step towards the blond, but the more he approached him, the more he was in pain. Their eyes met once more, as Naruto's eyes were filled with sadness and despair, as Gaara's were filled pain and confusion.  
  
They both recalled the great battle between them right after the sound-nins that accompanied Orochimaru attacked Konoha Village. How Gaara's eyes always looked like he was a lost boy, not aware of his true place in the world.  
  
Unlike him, Gaara didn't have anyone who acknowledged him once, like Iruka- sensei did for him. But in the end, even if Iruka acknowledged him, it wasn't enough to overcome the harsh words the Villagers told him daily.  
  
Seeing Gaara again, made him realize more than ever, that Gaara's words were very true, just like Neji's were when he fought him. It's then, that Naruto noticed, he was like Gaara. But always hoped that even if he put on his false happy mask, things would get better.  
  
A long silence came within the room, as Temari and Kankuro didn't dare to interfere with Gaara's current state. Temari was still shaking a little, as Kankuro's were wide open to see how Gaara seemed to still have control for now.  
  
Naruto slowly smiled, as many thoughts crossed his mind. And mostly revolved around why Gaara saved him twice, and kept him alive? He then noticed that maybe, deep down, he wanted someone to save him. After all, he understood Gaara better than everyone since they both had demons within them.  
  
"Loneliness" Naruto thought after many thoughts crossed his mind  
  
"What the hell is he smiling about!?" Kankuro let out as he stared at the blond  
  
Temari noticed the small smile upon Naruto's lips, as she gave a sign to Kankuro it would be best to not interfere unless Gaara's life was at stake.  
  
"Okaasan doesn't want me gone does she?" Naruto whispered softly as his eyes soften and became watery  
  
"Okaasan?" Kankuro and Temari repeated as their eyes widened  
  
Gaara's eyes widened, when Naruto leaned forward to place a hand on the young boy's cheek.  
  
"Gaara's already talking to IT?" Kankuro thought as his body started to tremble  
  
"I promise I won't do it again. So please, go back to sleep........." Naruto whispered never leaving the boy's eyes before him  
  
Upon those words, Gaara's body gradually stopped shaking, as he removed his hand against his forehead. The sand slowly returned to it's gourd, as Naruto leaned over Gaara to put the cork back on.  
  
Gaara's expression was blank as he seemed somewhat shocked, just as much as Kankuro and Temari were. Naruto simply sat back on his butt, hands pressed against the floor behind him for support, as he then looked out the window.  
  
"How did he........." Temari started  
  
"How could that brat do that!? It's impossible........." Kankuro continued with a weak voice  
  
"Uzumaki Naruto, how did you........." Gaara wanted to ask but stopped when he noticed how Naruto looked outside the window and the rays of the sun shone on his delicate skin  
  
"I know what it's like to have a demon remember? Sometimes, they have an urge to protect their host. And sometimes they even want to protect what their host desires but isn't aware of it yet" Naruto reminded the boy with a big smile  
  
"What the heck is he talking about?" Kankuro stepped forward as he was confused over the blonde's words  
  
"Could Naruto be like Gaara?" Temari asked herself as she stood up  
  
============================================================================ ======================  
  
*In The Forest, Gai's Team*  
  
The team finally arrived to where a dangerous fight seemed to have happened, as Gai stepped ahead of the group to examine the site. Gai carefully looked around, as Sasuke kneeled on the ground and grabbed an amount of soil into his hand.  
  
"Something big happened here" Tenten broke the silence  
  
The team looked around to notice the soil seemed to be mixed with an unknown substance as well as a red substances here and there as well on the trees around the clear zone of the grass.  
  
"The red substance is blood." Neji stated as he looked around  
  
"It almost looks like it rained" Tenten let out a bit shocked by the site  
  
"A rain of blood" A familiar voice came form behind them  
  
The group immediately turned around to see Shino, with his hands stuffed into his pockets, a very shy Hinata who stood behind her instructor, Kurenai, and Kiba, who seemed utterly pissed for an unknown reason ( probably Shino again ne? ) while Akamaru was on Kiba's head.  
  
"Rain of blood?" Tenten repeated a bit confused  
  
Neji, Gai and Sasuke's eyes stared at Kurenai's team, but most Shino to the specific words he chose.  
  
"There's only one person who could make it rain, a rain of blood" Shino continued  
  
"That freaky guy from the Chuunin exams........." Kiba continued, as Akamaru lowered his head and crawled inside Kiba's jacket  
  
"Gaara of the Desert" Sasuke finished as he poured the soil from his hand back to the ground  
  
"Guess we all ended up at the same place ne?" Another familiar male voice was heard  
  
From the shadows, they came out, Asuma's team, as Shikamaru stood right next to his sensei, hands stuffed into his pockets, Chouji besides him, eating chips again, while the two girls, Ino and Sakura argued about Uchiha Sasuke.  
  
"What brought you here?" Gai asked  
  
Before Asuma answered the question, Shikamaru got closer to the scene as he noticed the other substance mixed with the soil that Sasuke still had in his hand.  
  
"So, I'm guessing this is where things got worse" Shikamaru let out as he tried not to get his sandals dirty while he made his way through the scene  
  
"Got.........Worse.........?" Hinata mumbled weakly, earning her a glare from her cousin  
  
"Yeah, from our side, seems like Naruto was being chased, and that le us here" Chouji explained with his mouth almost full  
  
"How can you be so sure it was Naruto?" Neji asked a bit curious of the answer he could get  
  
"Can you believe the idiot actually engraved his name on his kunai?" Ino commented as she pushed her hair behind her back  
  
"That would be dobe indeed" Sasuke lowered his head and smiled a little  
  
"Ino was it?" Neji asked  
  
Ino immediately smiled as she pointed to herself and gave a wide smile to Neji.  
  
"Unless you want me to beat some sense into you, don't call Naruto an idiot again" Neji warned the girl  
  
Ino's smile vanished as the girls were a bit shocked by Neji's comment, as the rest of them stayed silent.  
  
"What the heck is his problem?" Ino asked herself  
  
"With all of us here, this could get troublesome......... Why did I get stuck with her?" Shikamaru asked himself as he took a deep breath and focused on the situation  
  
"Shikamaru, you're the genius. What happened?" Asuma asked his skillful but lazy student  
  
"Can he really do that?" Kiba asked a bit surprised  
  
"His intellect is higher than you" Shino commented with a calm voice  
  
Kiba made his usual face where he only wanted to beat the crap out of Shino, as Akamaru barked a little. As he was about to charge at his so called comrade, Kurenai grabbed the boy by the shoulder and held him in place.  
  
"Kiba, calm down. Don't forget we have to work as a team to find Naruto." Kurenai reminded her student  
  
"Chikushou........." Kiba growled as he calmed down  
  
"Then use your youth to be more powerful!" Gai let out  
  
With that sentence said, everyone's eyes twitched as Kurenai simply slapped her head. Neji stared at the sky, simply trying to forget that this has been his teacher for a long time, but still isn't used to his weird sentences.  
  
"I'm grateful to have Kakashi instead of that" Sasuke thought  
  
"If he continues I'm the one who's going to leave........." Shikamaru sighed as he concentrated as he could despite the phrase from Gai  
  
"The chase ended here. Naruto was overpowered to at least 5 to 1. First he was put down here." Shikamaru pointed to a place where the so called rain of blood had not poured as much there  
  
"How can you see all that?" Sakura asked as she was amazed again by Shikamaru's intelligence  
  
"For Shikamaru, this is like playing a game of Go ( an old Japanese game with black and white pebbles ) Putting the pieces together is his specialty as well as thinking ahead" Asuma informed the group of his student's potentiel while he continued to smoke  
  
"They had him cornered, but then something happened" Shikamaru continued  
  
"What happened?" Kiba asked  
  
Shikamaru kneeled to the ground to notice how there was much more sand behind where Naruto stood then elsewhere. He took an amount within his hands and showed it to the group.  
  
"Gaara" Sasuke let out as he took a serious look  
  
"My guess is, Gaara came in time and killed them all. Don't ask me why because I don't know" Shikamaru warned them as he made his way a bit further  
  
Shikamaru then kneeled down again when he examined the base of the tree and stood back up to meet the eyes of all those who stared at him.  
  
"Another attack came from this side, something strong enough to make Naruto move from there" He pointed to the first place he stopped "To here" As he pointed at the base of the tree  
  
The tree had sustained several deep cuts, as they had some blood on it. Sasuke stepped forward as he looked at where Naruto was at first and then back to where Shikamaru now stood.  
  
"Temari must've used her great wind attack against Naruto. Knocked him out immediately. By now he should have a rib or two broken" Shikamaru continued  
  
"How can you be sure it's her?" Neji asked  
  
"I fought her during the Chuunin Exams. I know how hard those attacks can damage you. With all these markings on the trees, it was definitely her." Shikamaru explained to Neji since he hadn't viewed the fight between himself and Temari  
  
Shino moved closer to Shikamaru, as he stared to the ground where he found many footprints stamped in it.  
  
"Then we must assume that Kankuro was with them as well." Shino told the group  
  
Shikamaru moved to go next to Shino to se what he observed.  
  
"Most likely. But certain footprints are deeper than the other. So that could only mean........." Shikamaru started but Shino finished instead  
  
"They transported him back to where ever they were going" Shino finished  
  
"So what's our move then?" Kiba asked as Akamaru barked  
  
"A team will return to Konoha to inform Hokage. Another will be dispatched to inform Kakashi and Jiraiya. The last team will pursue the search." Kurenai took control and informed them  
  
"Then which team will do what?" Asuma asked as he exhaled some smoke  
  
"We'll remake the teams. To make sure to one that continues is the strongest in case they encounter danger. Agreed?" Kurenai asked her companions  
  
the both nodded, as the student waited for the new teams to be formed.  
  
============================================================================ ======================  
  
*Sand Village, Gaara's House*  
  
Naruto then looked back at Gaara as he stood up and patted his butt to get the dirt off it. Kankuro now seeing that his little brother is ok, placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder and pointed at him with the other one.  
  
"I hope you understand if I ask you to leave right away" Kankuro informed the boy  
  
Naruto nodded, as he walked by Gaara and made his way to the door. But before he left, his eyes met those of Temari.  
  
"My bag?" Naruto asked  
  
"First room on the left. Then go down the stairs and you'll see the door" Temari answered him as she lowered her gaze  
  
"Arigatou. Gaara, you're lucky to have a brother and a sister that care about you. Anyway, try not to kill too many people ne?" Naruto walked out of the room as he waved goodbye to them  
  
Gaara turned around as he only saw the back of Naruto that left, but his eyes remained wide open as something inside of him, didn't want Naruto to leave.  
  
TBC  
  
============================================================================ ======================  
  
Would you believe me if I told you I had no idea what this chapter would be like? Well it's true! But you're gonna all hate me because Naruto's leaving! Be mad at Kankuro and Temari not me!!!  
  
Anyway, Next chapter will be out by next week. It's to be forgiven for updating so late because of my writer's block.  
  
REVIEWS  
  
EmeraldBlossom / insanechildfanfic / Luna / JadeTiger / Ame No Megami : thanks for reviewing I appreciate it a lot! So please continue to review!  
  
Silver Neo : What can I say? Your little stories simply amaze me with each chapter. I so love them! How funny. I keep laughing out loud and at school the other students think I'm crazy lol. Hope you liked this chapter!  
  
TheTrueSilver : Well this cliffy isn't so bad as last time ne?  
  
Red Rose : thanks for reviewing. Unfortunately I'm keeping Gaara's handy work for another chapter  
  
Someone : I updated! Hope you forgive me for updating so late. But as mentioned above next chapter will be out next week  
  
Peter Kim : Well I let the others determine what really happened with Shino's experience and the sand they found on the site, hope it was ok.  
  
Rubymoon17 : No more writer's block!!! Now you'll be happy!  
  
Lalalala : SasuNaru comes a bit in later chapters, just thought to warn some people  
  
Hyperactivator : haven't seen you before but thanks for reviewing! Fan Art would be nice  
  
V Peave Victory : As you know the mother is sacrificed during the process of getting Shukaku within Gaara. During Episode 66-67, Gaara refers to the demon as his mother, since her soul is part of the demon as well.  
  
Kuroi hikari : I meant the kunai thing as funny. Since he would be stupid enough to maybe do it. But I had to do something to make them go on the right track. As for the perverted things, I don't want to rush it either or else Gaara becomes too OCC and people flame me! But something good happens in the next chapter I think  
  
Silverknight7 : I updated! And thanks for reviewing  
  
Hanachan : thanks for your review and compliment. I guess I made Sasuke the very bad guy ne?  
  
Nikkler : I got many twists reserved for this story, and I hope you stick to the end  
  
Black jaggan : I updated as fast as I could despite my stupid writer's block. Thanks for saying I kept Gaara sane and not too OCC like other fics, I'm relieved to know that  
  
Ladydragon : Well, Naruto made it better but without a kiss. Sorry  
  
Arbil : I'm so sorry for making people wait for some action between the two but I don't' want to make Gaara out of character like other fics. But some is about to come, hopefully in the next chapter.  
  
Next Chapter : Stay  
  
Naruto prepares to leave to Hidden Sand Village. The new teams are formed as each begin their own mission. Gaara reflects on the words Naruto spoke to him earlier and those back at the Chuunin exams.  
  
READ AND REVIEW  
  
Thanks everyone  
  
Until next week!  
  
Ookima 


	8. Stay

A New Path Chapter 8 : Stay  
  
Synopsis : Naruto prepares to leave to Hidden Sand Village. The new teams are formed as each begin their own mission. Gaara reflects on the words Naruto spoke to him earlier and those back at the Chuunin exams.  
  
Pairings : Main pairing will be Gaara x Naruto. A little tiny bit of Sasuke x Naruto, along with maybe Kakashi x Iruka  
  
Disclaimer : I don't own Naruto but wish I did  
  
Important note : Contains shonen-ai, in other words boy loves boy, don't like then don't read  
  
Gomen but Gaara might start to be a bit OCC, but I'll try to keep him as sane as he usually is.  
  
Extra Information :  
  
- This takes place after the Chuunin exam, although, Sasuke never went to join Orochimaru.  
  
- Also, the fight between Sasuke and Naruto on the Hospital roof did occur.  
  
- Important to have read up to Volume 20 of the manga Naruto  
  
JAPANESE WORDS  
  
- baka = idiot -  
  
- dobe = dead last -  
  
- naruhodo = I see -  
  
- Chikushou = damn / dammit -  
  
- naze = why -  
  
- hai = yes / yeah -  
  
- Arigatou = Thank You -  
  
- Okaasan = Mother -  
  
- Gomen = Sorry -  
  
- Urousai = Shut up -  
  
============================================================================ ==========  
  
*Sand Village, Gaara's House*  
  
Naruto then looked back at Gaara as he stood up and patted his butt to get the dirt off it. Kankuro now seeing that his little brother is ok, placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder and pointed at him with the other one.  
  
"I hope you understand if I ask you to leave right away" Kankuro informed the boy  
  
Naruto nodded, as he walked by Gaara and made his way to the door. But before he left, his eyes met those of Temari.  
  
"My bag?" Naruto asked  
  
"First room on the left. Then go down the stairs and you'll see the door" Temari answered him as she lowered her gaze  
  
"Arigatou. Gaara, you're lucky to have a brother and a sister that care about you. Anyway, try not to kill too many people ne?" Naruto walked out of the room as he waved goodbye to them  
  
Gaara turned around as he only saw the back of Naruto that left, but his eyes remained wide open as something inside of him, didn't want Naruto to leave.  
  
---  
  
The door opening and then closing now proved once and for all that Naruto had left their house. Temari and Kankuro were relieved bu Gaara felt a strange feeling inside of him, knowing he wouldn't see the blond for a long time.  
  
"We should of left him in the forest the first time we saw him" Kankuro commented as he picked up his puppet toy  
  
"Kankuro, maybe we should leave Gaara alone for a while........." Temari walked next to her brother and urged him that both of them leave the room  
  
"You should rest, so we'll go to our rooms as well........." Kankuro let out as he and his sister walked out of the room to leave Gaara alone for the moment  
  
Gaara managed to stand up again as he stared at the door and then walked towards the window to look outside, perhaps in hopes to have one last glimpse of Naruto  
  
============================================================================ ======================  
  
*Konoha forest*  
  
The Genins, along with the only Chuunin and Juunins awaited for Kurenai's new team assignment.  
  
"Those who will continue the search will be the following. Nara Shikamaru, Uchiha Sasuke, Hyuga Neji and Unuzuka Kiba." Kurenai started the new teams  
  
"Eh? No Juunins with us?" Shikamaru asked  
  
"You're a Chuunin now Shikamaru, besides you have the strongest genins in Konoha with you." Asuma reminded the boy  
  
"Why are you sending only the strongest?" Sakura asked  
  
"Konoha can't spare too many Juunins. Because of Orochimaru and Itachi we shouldn't even be doing this search........." Kurenai started to explain  
  
"In other words, if someone was to attack, this would be a great opportunity for them" Shino commented  
  
"Hai" Asuma answered  
  
"Who will go find Jiraiya-sama and Kakashi-sensei?" Tenten asked  
  
"Maito Gai will stay with Tenten, Hyuga Hianata, Haruno Sakura and Aburame Shino and go inform Kakashi and Jiraiya of the current situation. So Shino, it would be good if you planted a female on one of the four boys." Kurenai asked her student  
  
"What for?" Ino asked not understanding  
  
"I do not like repeating myself" Shino answered calmly  
  
(For those who don't remember, the female bugs give out an scent which only the male bugs can smell. )  
  
"As for Akimichi Chouji and Yamanaga Ino, you will return to Konoha with myself and Asuma-sensei." Kurenai finished  
  
"Why are we the only two not to go!?" Ino yelled out  
  
"Ino, stop arguing and just listen to what Kurenai-sensei ordered" Chouji spoke out for the first time  
  
"Ino, you are skilled genins but this is an A ranked mission. Those four alone have proven the skills to become Chuunins. We don't know either what they might encounter and us Juunin believe that those four together will work together the best to retrieve your comrade" Asuma explained  
  
"So why aren't you sending us after Kakashi-sensei and Jiraiya?" Ino asked still angry  
  
"Sakura's part of team 7, Hinata can locate their position with her Byakugan, in case of combat, Tenten is very reliable as well as Gai. Once you've found them, Shino will be the one you'll rely upon due to his demale bug placed on the search team." Shikamaru answered so his teammate would understand  
  
"Well explained" Asuma praised his student again  
  
"Spread out!" Kurenai ordered  
  
With that order given, Gai's new composed team headed towards the south in search of Kakashi and Jiraiya, while Kurenai and Asuma's small team went back to the Village to inform them of the new information they gathered.  
  
Only Shikamaru's team remained on site, as they all looked at each other and then back at Shikamaru himself.  
  
"What's the plan?" Kiba asked  
  
"We're heading towards Hidden Sand Village, I'll take lead the way, while Neji and Sasuke stay behind me, Akamaru and Kiba will cover our backs in case we enter a trap." Shikamaru explained  
  
"Good enough for me" Kiba let out  
  
As the team was about to head towards the Sand Village, they noticed how Neji stared at the ground where the fight occurred.  
  
"What is it Neji?" Shikamaru asked  
  
"Nobody cared to ask a simple but obvious question" Neji replied without answering  
  
"Meaning?" Sasuke asked the Hyuga as he faced him  
  
"Why would Gaara save Naruto? After all, Naruto did beat him after the invasion started" Neji commented  
  
"So, there's a great possibility that we'll encounter Gaara as well" Sasuke let out  
  
"Most likely" Neji replied  
  
"You have got to be kidding me!" Kiba yelled out as Akamaru started to shake upon hearing Gaara's name  
  
"We'll deal with the matter if it happens. And Hopefully, Kakashi and Jiraiya will have joined us by then." Shikamaru stated  
  
"Let's retrieve dobe then" Sasuke let out as he jumped into a tree  
  
The others followed as they took the formation discussed earlier. They now headed towards Hidden Sand Village in hopes to find what they are looking for.  
  
============================================================================ ======================  
  
*Where Kakashi and Jiraiya are*  
  
They leaped from tree to tree but still hadn't found any clues. They finally came to a stop and landed on the same branch.  
  
"I still say the brat wouldn't come down here" Jiraiya complained  
  
"I agree, but we can't disobey Hokage's order either." Kakashi replied  
  
"That old hag should follow her instincts on this one instead of the Hokage title" Jiraiya spat out  
  
"I propose we head back up, nobody has steped into these woods for at least a week. And we both know Naruto wouldn't bother to cover his trail, even if he tried hard" Kakashi spoke  
  
"Hai, there's nothing here, let's head a different location" Jiraiya proposed  
  
Kakashi nodded as they both vanished from the trees  
  
============================================================================ ======================  
  
*Hidden Sand Village*  
  
Naruto walked in the streets on his way out of the Village, when he noticed how the Villages gave him cold eyes and whispers. This Village seemed no different than Konoha in his eyes.  
  
"He just came out form that monster's house........." A woman said  
  
"And he's still in one piece........." Another whispered  
  
"The boy must be cursed now because of that monster........." A man mumbled  
  
Naruto tried to not let those annoying voices to him as he decided to walk faster to the gates and get out of there as soon as possible before he beat someone to death.  
  
"Damn them!" Naruot yelled inside of him  
  
--- Inside Gaara's house ---  
  
Gaara observed the scene outside, as how the boy would react to these accusations, but to his surprise, Naruto simply walk away without harming anyone.  
  
"He still suffers......... Like I use to ........." Gaara thought as he walked away from the window  
  
--- FLASHBACK ---  
  
A younger version of Gaara stood in the living room, as he looked at a picture while Yashamaru cooked the diner. Gaara had taken a smile knife as he tried to cut himself but the sand always stood in the way.  
  
Yashamaru then came in the living room and asked that the boy stopped hurting himself. Gaara looked down as he was both confused and sad, and looked up.  
  
"Ne Yashamaru. What is pain?" Gaara asked  
  
Yashamaru explained as he could to the young boy but saw that Gaara still didn't understand what he tried to explain.  
  
"I think I understand what pain is now" Gaara let out  
  
"Is that so?" Yashamaru was a little surprised  
  
"Does that mean I'm injured like everyone else?" Gaara asked  
  
"........." Yashamaru stayed silent as he wondered what the boy meant  
  
"Then I always feel pain.........Although it doesn't bleed, this part hurts so much ........." Gaara spoke with a very sad voice as his hand grabbed the fabric of his shirt where his heart was  
  
Yashamaru took hold of the knife as he made a tiny cut on his finger to show to the boy how physical wounds are different then emotional scars.  
  
"Emotional scars?" Gaara asked  
  
"Physical and emotional scars are a bit different. Unlike physical ones, there's no ointment available for emotional ones......... And the pain might never go away" Yashamaru continued  
  
Gaara's eyes were filled with sadness as he lowered his head.  
  
"There is only one thing that can stop such a heartache. However, as inconvenient it may seem, This cure can only be given by people other than yourself ........." Yashamaru continued his explanation  
  
"What is it?" gaara asked as he met his caretaker's eyes  
  
"It's love!" Yashamaru answered with a smile  
  
"Love? How can I receive that?" Gaara asked  
  
"Love is care and devotion you feel for the precious ones around you" Yashamaru finished  
  
--- END OF FLASHBACK ---  
  
Gaara touched the sign of love on his forehead, as he also remembered that night, his father had ordered Yashamaru to kill him since he had become a threat to the Village. He then remembered what Naruto told him moments ago.  
  
--- SMALL FLASHBACK ---  
  
"I know what it's like to have a demon remember? Sometimes, they have an urge to protect their host. And sometimes they even want to protect what their host desires but isn't aware of it yet" Naruto reminded the boy with a big smile  
  
--- END OF SMALL FLASHBACK  
  
Gaara's eyes widened as he remembered Naruto mentioning that sentence to him, as if he knew what he was talking about.  
  
"Okaasan ......... Could what he said be true?" Gaara asked himself  
  
Gaara then felt a slight pain on his forehead as his eyes widened. He never thought he actually could get an answer but he took this as a sign. But to be sure, he needed to see Naruto one last time. And so, he left his room with one objective in mind, to find Uzumaki Naruto .  
  
Unfortunately, he needed to pass through the living room, where his big brother and sister currently were. Temari was washing her giant fan, while Kankuro attended to perfect his puppet doll named Karusa.  
  
"Gaara?" Temari spoke his name  
  
Gaara never turned around to meet their gaze as he simply opened the door.  
  
"Where are you going?" Kankuro asked  
  
"He still hasn't answered all my questions" Gaara replied in a cold tone  
  
"But Gaara, he ........." Temari wanted to argue until Gaara looked her in the eyes with a killing intent  
  
"Stay out of this. I need to understand. That is all. I'll come back later once I'm finished." Gaara coldly told her as he exited the house  
  
Temari's heart had stopped beating for a moment sicne she didn't expect Gaara to react this way at all. Kankuro cleared his throat as he then looked over at his sister and they exchanged worried looks.  
  
"Why is he so interested in that annoying brat!?" Kankuro asked  
  
"Gaara's been like this ever since he and Naruto almost fought to death........." Temari reminded her brother  
  
"Just what the hell happened between those two?" Kankuro asked to himself out loud  
  
"I don't know, but that fact that Naruto was able to calm down Shikaku ......... Even our sensei had never been able to stop it........." Temari was half scared just thinking about it  
  
"I know........." Kankuro spoke out with a low voice  
  
--- Hidden Sand Gates ---  
  
Naruto had his bag in hand as he hid himself in a tree, while he waited for an opportunity to jump over the gate to evade any questions or being captured by the Sand-nins.  
  
The moment the sand-nin shifted towards the opposite direction, Naruto jumped out of the tree and over the wall of hardened sand. Naruto landed with ease on the ground as he breathed heavily.  
  
"This kinda bites, I still don't have anywhere to go back to........." Naruto mumbled to himself  
  
"If you have no where else to go then stay here" A male voice said  
  
Naruto tripped on his feet and fell to the ground face first when he jumped back up on his feet to face the voice that he heard originally behind him. His eyes widened when he noticed it was someone he knew.  
  
"Gaara?" Naruto let out in shock  
  
Gaara leaned against the wall as his arms remained crossed while he glared at the kitsune. Naruto shook a little as he dropped his bag on the ground and was still shocked to see Gaara there so soon.  
  
"Why are you here?" Naruto asked with a weak voice  
  
"Loneliness" Gaara said as he stared at Naruto  
  
"Eh?" Naruto didn't quite understand what Gaara meant  
  
"Do you wish to be alone again?" Gaara asked  
  
"It's not like I chose to live alone, it's because of Kyubi that I'm force to be alone......... And honestly I hate it but no one wants a demon and never will ........." Naruto stammered as he looked down to evade Gaara's eyes  
  
"You're wrong" Gaara let out as he uncrossed his arms and walked towards the blond  
  
"Wrong? Konoha didn't give a damn about me just as much as people in it! So who the hell would want to ever be with me!?" Naruto yelled out in anger as unwanted tears filled his eyes  
  
"Me" Gaara replied with a calm voice as he stood merely an inch away from Naruto's face  
  
"Huh?" Naruto gave a confused look as he immediately calmed down  
  
"I wish to be with you" Gaara told Naruto as the blond blinked his eyes many times  
  
"Eh? Now why would go saying something stupid like that?" Naruto asked still surprised  
  
"Because it's true" Gaara repeated himself  
  
Naruto lifted an eyebrow as he never expected this kind of answer from the sand boy.  
  
"In that fight, despite the fact that you feared me, you still fought against me, for the sake of your so called friends. The words you spoke to me when our battle ended, they disturbed me at first since I did not understand their meaning, until now." Gaara explained  
  
"I don't get it........." Naruto acted his usual idiot way as he looked into Gaara's eyes  
  
"I'll explain when the time comes. Answer this before you leave Uzumaki. Once you leave my Village, what are you going to do with your life?" Gaara asked with a dead serious tone  
  
Naruto's fists closed harder as the blood started to leak from them. His fists shook as Naruto knew deep down he didn't know what he could do or where he'd go, but the fact Gaara asked him this question made him both sad and angry. Naruto turned around so that Gaara could only stare at his back so the sand-nin couldn't see the tears that had started to fall on his cheeks.  
  
"Answer me" Gaara demanded an answer  
  
"I.........I don't know......... I'm so useless! Maybe when I escaped I was hoping someone would end my life so the pain of being alone and hated all the time would finally go away......... Besides, even if I leave, I don't have any where else to go ........." Naruto screamed out as he lowered his head and tears fell on the ground  
  
Naruto lifted his head back up when he felt his body being pulled somewhere as the warmth of another body touched his back. Naruto's eyes widened, when he felt two arms around his neck with a soft warm wind blew next to his ear.  
  
"Gaara........." Naruto whispered as he knew Gaara was behind him  
  
Gaara had pulled in the blond into his own arms, as his lips were next to the blonde's ear, his arms wrapped protectively around the boy's neck, his chest against Naruto's back.  
  
"We are the same......... Hated and feared by the people we serve and protect. To them we are nothing more than monsters and tools that they can use. We both found our own way to cope with their threats." Gaara whispered to the boy  
  
Naruto stayed still as he didn't know how to react to the situation he currently was him.  
  
"He's right......... But what should I do now? I can't go back to Konoha......... Not after what happened there........." Naruto asked himself  
  
"Do you truly desire to go out there, to be alone and shunned by the people again?" Gaara asked  
  
"Iie.........Demo ......... I can never go back to Konoha......... I'm so tired of being alone and hated by everyone......... But I don't have anywhere else to go ........." Naruto mumbled as he cried again and placed his hands and griped tightly the arms around his neck  
  
"Then stay here" Gaara let out as he closed his eyes and took a deep breath  
  
"Nani.........?" Naruto's eyes open widely as he turned his head to try and meet the eyes of the sand-nin  
  
"I, myself, am tired of being alone." Gaara softly said  
  
Both boys stared at each other, when Naruto saw something he only saw once in the eyes of Gaara. The young sand-nin's eyes seemed to be filled with sorrow and pain, as if he had remembered a painful moment in his life.  
  
"Gaara......... I ........." Naruto was about to give his answer as he stared into those light green eyes  
  
TBC  
  
============================================================================ ======================  
  
Sorry for the short chapter people but I ran out of ideas and you wanted an update fast, so faster updates mean shorter chapter! Plus I still have my Rivals or Lovers? Story to update, and I only got 14 pages written of that one so please understand!  
  
Reviews  
  
Emeraldblossom : Welcome back. I updated soon although I'm still not satisfied with this chapter .........  
  
Luna / zornoid13 / kurokyoku / silverknight7 / JadeTiger : Thanks for reviewing!  
  
Rubymoon17 : I think this is the worse chapter I've written in this story......... I so hate it, but I can't seem to make it any better sniff sniff  
  
Silver Neo : You're back!!! You one-chan is very direct! But things are starting to develop as you might of notice although I had to make Gaara a bit OCC, and I hate making him OCC! But I guess with some thought he figured it's best for himself if Naruto remains with him, besides he has no where else to go to ne? Can't wait for your next review and story!  
  
Trubluewolfeyes : I update as I can. I'm stuck with two part time jobs which take a lot of time and school. I even neglect my own boyfriend to write and continue my Naruto fics! But I just love writing.........  
  
Soulretreiver13 : Soon they'll meet, but now it's to wonder what will happen between Gaara and Naruto......... Update your fics soon too ne?  
  
Thetruesilver : I stopped at the wrong place again didn't I? So sorry about that but I need to update my other stories too.........  
  
ArticTiger 89 : I updated and thanks for your review! I also have a new Sasuke x Naruto story out, hope you check it out!  
  
Shadow eclipse : thanks for the comments  
  
Peter Kin : Well I made the teams as I saw it would be best, although I left out Ino and Chouji but many characters to handle can be hard on my brain lol  
  
Black Jaggan : Well as I told Peter above, I separated the teams by ability, but Shino will meet up with Neji later, so don't loose hope. And thanks about the comment concerning Shikamaru's ability, I was hoping to get him right.  
  
Nikkler : Gaara might rbing him back but he went to at least meet Naruto and ask a few questions.!  
  
Red Rose : Gaara won't let Naruto go, the boy is starting to feel something but he simply doesn't know what it is yet!  
  
Arbil : That's the link I want them to have to get them even closer, I know I'm writing some fluff about the cute soon to be couple, but I don't want to rush things either to ruin the story, hope you understand  
  
Next Chapter :  
  
Naruto makes his decision, as Shikamaru's team are very near Sand Village, as Jiraiya and Kakashi joined up with them. How will everyone react?  
  
Thanks for the reviews and those who stay loyal by chapter!  
  
Read and REVIEW please  
  
Until next time ( and hopefully in two weeks at most )  
  
Ookima 


	9. Naruto's Decision

A New Path Chapter 9 : Naruto's Decision  
  
Synopsis : Naruto makes his decision, as Shikamaru's team is divided in half. One enters the Village, the other awaits for Kakashi and Jiraiya to join them.  
  
Pairings : Main pairing will be Gaara x Naruto.  
  
Disclaimer : I don't own Naruto but wish I did  
  
Important note : Contains shonen-ai, in other words boy loves boy, don't like then don't read  
  
Gomen but Gaara might start to be a bit OCC, but I'll try to keep him as sane as he usually is.  
  
Extra Information :  
  
- This takes place after the Chuunin exam, although, Sasuke never went to join Orochimaru.  
  
- Also, the fight between Sasuke and Naruto on the Hospital roof did occur.  
  
- Important to have read up to Volume 20 of the manga Naruto  
  
JAPANESE WORDS  
  
- baka = idiot -  
  
- dobe = dead last -  
  
- naruhodo = I see -  
  
- Chikushou = damn / dammit -  
  
- naze = why -  
  
- hai = yes / yeah -  
  
- Arigatou = Thank You -  
  
- Okaasan = Mother -  
  
- Gomen = Sorry -  
  
- Urousai = Shut up -  
  
============================================================================ ==========  
  
--- Hidden Sand Gates ---  
  
"Answer this before you leave Uzumaki. Once you leave my Village, what are you going to do with your life?" Gaara asked with a dead serious tone  
  
Naruto's fists closed harder as the blood started to leak from them. His fists shook as Naruto knew deep down he didn't know what he could do or where he'd go, but the fact Gaara asked him this question made him both sad and angry. Naruto turned around so that Gaara could only stare at his back so the sand-nin couldn't see the tears that had started to fall on his cheeks.  
  
"Answer me" Gaara demanded an answer  
  
"I.........I don't know......... I'm so useless! Maybe when I escaped I was hoping someone would end my life so the pain of being alone and hated all the time would finally go away......... Besides, even if I leave, I don't have any where else to go ........." Naruto screamed out as he lowered his head and tears fell on the ground  
  
Naruto lifted his head back up when he felt his body being pulled somewhere as the warmth of another body touched his back. Naruto's eyes widened, when he felt two arms around his neck with a soft warm wind blew next to his ear.  
  
"Gaara........." Naruto whispered as he knew Gaara was behind him  
  
Gaara had pulled in the blond into his own arms, as his lips were next to the blonde's ear, his arms wrapped protectively around the boy's neck, his chest against Naruto's back.  
  
"We are the same......... Hated and feared by the people we serve and protect. To them we are nothing more than monsters and tools that they can use. We both found our own way to cope with their threats." Gaara whispered to the boy  
  
Naruto stayed still as he didn't know how to react to the situation he currently was him.  
  
"He's right......... But what should I do now? I can't go back to Konoha......... Not after what happened there........." Naruto asked himself  
  
"Do you truly desire to go out there, to be alone and shunned by the people again?" Gaara asked  
  
"Iie.........Demo ......... I can never go back to Konoha......... I'm so tired of being alone and hated by everyone......... But I don't have anywhere else to go ........." Naruto mumbled as he cried again and placed his hands and griped tightly the arms around his neck  
  
"Then stay here" Gaara let out as he closed his eyes and took a deep breath  
  
"Nani.........?" Naruto's eyes open widely as he turned his head to try and meet the eyes of the sand-nin  
  
"I, myself, am tired of being alone." Gaara softly said  
  
Both boys stared at each other, when Naruto saw something he only saw once in the eyes of Gaara. The young sand-nin's eyes seemed to be filled with sorrow and pain, as if he had remembered a painful moment in his life.  
  
"Gaara......... I ........." Naruto was about to give his answer as he stared into those light green eyes  
  
---  
  
Gaara tightened his grip as he felt his heart racing faster as he waited for an answer. These feelings were always unknown to him since only this boy, Uzumaki Naruto was able to make him feel these new sensations.  
  
"I don't know what to answer......... Something inside me tells me to stay, this feeling, I never experienced before........." Naruto thought as he's eyes showed confusion  
  
"Stay by my side" Gaara whispered to the boy  
  
Several minutes passed as Naruto mentally debated within himself why he would stay, as he saw Gaara was waiting patiently for an answer. After a long moment of silence, Gaara's eyes were slightly sad as he unwrapped his arms around the blond and stepped backwards.  
  
"I see......... I must return home........." Gaara mumbled as he turned his back to the blond and prepared to leave  
  
Naruto seemed to snap out of it, as he reached out to grab Gaara's wrist and force him to face him.  
  
"I'll stay" Naruto gave his answer with a little smile, as his cheeks were still wet by the few tears he shed  
  
============================================================================ ======================  
  
*Konoha Borders*  
  
The group stopped as they had reached the border and if they came to cross it, they would enter in Hidden Sand Village.  
  
"We have to go in there" Kiba reminded the group  
  
"Hai, but it's best to wait for Kakashi and Jiraiya first" Shikamaru mentioned  
  
"The more we wait the less chances we have to find him" Sasuke stated as his hands rested on his waist  
  
"What are you suggesting Uchiha?" Neji asked intrigued by the boy's words  
  
"Two of us enter the Village as the other two remain behind to wait for Kakashi and Jiraiya to show up." Sasuke proposed  
  
"Is that wise?" Kiba asked  
  
"Do we have any choice?" Neji shot back at Kiba  
  
Kiba growled and glared at Neji as the Hyuga made him sound stupid for asking such a question when they all knew the answer.  
  
"Kiba and Akamaru will stay behind with me. Sasuke, you and Neji go in. We'll wait for Kakashi and Jiraiya." Shikamaru ordered his team  
  
"What about the bugs Shino placed?" Kiba asked  
  
"No worries, Shino placed a female bug on each of us in case we had got separated" Shikamaru informed them  
  
"Then why do I have to stay behind?" Kiba asked  
  
"Akamaru can track them once the other two arrive. Neji's Byakugan can help him and Sasuke to find Naruto as well. This is the best solution for now" Shikamaru answered as he sat down on the ground and looked up in the sky  
  
"Fine by me, Let's go" Sasuke spoke out as he jumped over the border line and now entered the Sand Country  
  
Neji nodded as he followed Sasuke quickly. Kiba was almost tearing his hair out of his head and growled while Akamaru barked.  
  
"They better get their asses here quickly!" Kiba yelled out as he walked back and forth, arms crossed  
  
"Hope he doesn't get too troublesome" Shikamaru thought  
  
============================================================================ ======================  
  
*Konoha's forest*  
  
Gai's new arranged team leaped from tree to tree when Gai halted and scanned the area surrounding them. Tenten landed next to her sensei, while Sakura nd Hinata remained closely together behind the new sensei. Shino, remained calm and unmoved as he stayed behind the group and scanned the area as well.  
  
"Sensei?" Tenten looked up to him  
  
"Two ninjas are heading straight for us" Gai replied  
  
"Is it Kakashi-sensei and the other one?" Sakura asked  
  
Gai had that silly smile on his face as he vanished form the three genins sight. Tenten smiled a little as she knew why her sensei had disappeared, as the group remained still.  
  
"Hinata, could you ........." Sakura asked with a low voice  
  
"H.........Hai" Hinata replied as she made a few hand signs and activated her Byakugan  
  
"Gai-sensei and the two figures are there" The girl mumbled and pointed at her left side  
  
Crack  
  
A loud sound of a tree busting in many pieces could be heard, as the four genins rushed to that position. They were not surprised to see Gai standing with his foot stuck in the trunk of a tree, with a grey haired ninja standing a meter away from what seemed to be the initial attack.  
  
"Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura let out as she walked towards him  
  
"Yo" Kakashi let out as he waved to his student  
  
"Don't ignore me Kakashi!" Gai yelled out as he managed to unstuck his foot in the tree  
  
"Sensei always act like this when his eternal rival is near" Tenten specified to reassure Hinata, since the girl's hand were shaking  
  
"Why are you brats here anyway?" Jiraiya asked as he came form behind the tree  
  
"Kurenai separated our teams because we found a trail that will lead us to Uzumaki Naruto" Shino answered in a neutral tone  
  
"Why would he go there?" Jiraiya asked  
  
"He was forced to......... And things got worse........." Sakura mumbled as she lowered her head to stare at the ground  
  
"How bad?" Jiraiya asked with a serious tone and concern for his only student  
  
"Gaara of the Sand" Shino let out, hands stuffed in his pockets once again  
  
Kakashi and Jiraiya exchanged worried looks as Gai finally calmed down enough to explain the rest of the situation properly.  
  
"We'll explain on our way to the borders. Shino, please lead the way" Gai asked the student  
  
Both Juunin and Sennin nodded as Shino led the way to the border where they would end up meeting Shikamaru's team. Hinata and Sakura remained silent , as they didn't want to make things worse.  
  
"Isn't Gaara another demon?" Jiraiya asked  
  
"Hai, he has Shukaku inside of him, but has no control over it......... It was by far a miracle Naruto was able to defeat such a powerful creature" Kakashi whispered to the sennin, making sure only Gai heard and not their students  
  
"Let us hope we're not too late........." Gai let out as they headed towards Konoha, Sand borders  
  
============================================================================ ======================  
  
*Sand Village*  
  
--- Hidden Sand Gates ---  
  
"I'll stay" Naruto gave his answer with a little smile, as his cheeks were still wet by the few tears he shed  
  
Gaara seemed a little confused as the blond walked closer to him, and wrapped his arms around the sand-nin's waist and buried his head in the soft fabric of Gaara's chest.  
  
"As long as you want me here, I'll stay........." Naruto replied as he no longer held back his tears  
  
Naruto clang to Gaara, as this one wasn't sure of what to do too much as he was still shocked that the boy had accepted to stay in the first place, and more surprisingly, he stayed because he wanted the blond to stay with him.  
  
"Then you might stay here for a long time........." Gaara whispered as he wrapped his arms once more around the kitsune  
  
"I don't care......... As long as I'm not alone anymore......... I don't care ........." Naruto continued to cry his eyes out as his eyes slowly closed  
  
Without his knowledge, Naruto's body became numb as he fell to his knees. Fortunately, Gaara tightened his grip on the blond to prevent him from falling further, as something unexpected also interfere.  
  
"Nani?" Gaara's eyes widened as he noticed the sand from his gourd had come out and surrounded them carefully, as if it waited for something to happen  
  
Gaara unwrapped his arms around the blond, which caused this one to fall, but immediately, the sand interfered and gathered under Naruto to slowly lay him down on the ground, while Gaara simply observed the scene before him.  
  
"Yashimaru, Okaasan......... I may have found that someone who I can give this love, and perhaps, also give me this love........." Gaara whispered with a little sad smile  
  
Gaara raised his hands in the air as the sand lifted the exhausted Naruto off the ground and gently back in the sand-nin's arms. Naruto's head rested against Gaara's chest, as his arms were crossed above his stomach, but what caught the boy's attention mostly, was seeing how Naruto was smiling.  
  
"I finally found someone who's like me......... and understands me at last........." Naruto mumbled in his deep sleep  
  
The sand retreated back in the gourd as Gaara held closely, and protectively, the young boy in his arms, as he headed back home. This feeling that Gaara didn't understand or comprehend, made him do something that hadn't happened in a long time.  
  
Gaara smiled.........  
  
TBC  
  
============================================================================ ======================  
  
Short chapter I know, but if you want me to update fast, that means shorter chapters ne? I worked on this chapter for a whole day and kept erasing it because I was never satisfied with what I wrote. To me Gaara seemed too OCC and I seem to rush things. I hope this version is the best one out of all of them.........  
  
REVIEWS  
  
Red Rose : I made Naruto stay with Gaara! As you wished, hope this chapter wasn't too bad for you too  
  
Insanechildfanfic / Cookie6 / trubluewolfeyes / EmeraldBlossom / Death Phoenix / SilverKnight7 / someone : Thanks for reviewing I really appreciate it a lot!  
  
Renn : Thanks I'm doing my really best to keep them in character but unfortunately Gaara sometimes has to be a bit OCC or this wouldn't be a Gaara x Naruto fic ne?  
  
Silver Neo : Ah, my favorite little story making reviewer! Poor Rei-Chan I feel a bit bad for her but she does have a little temper though. Continue with the cute and funny story, those make my days!  
  
Nikkler : Yep, Gaara realized some things he's still looking for the answers, but soon will discover what those feelings really are when he's ready to admit them. As for Naruto, he simply wants someone that knows his biggest secret to accept him as he is, and with Gaara I found that possible.  
  
Anael Razualle : Things are going to get better for Gaara and Naruto, only time will tell.  
  
Rubymoon17 : hope this chapter was ok as well, seems like although I'm writing lately, for me it's never good enough. But as long as you like it, it's great!  
  
Ookami Kage : You're back to review my chapters again! Arigatou! If you need some help or maybe ideas for your own stories to update please don't hesitate to email me, I helped a few writers with some of my ideas.  
  
Burning Tree : I've never seen your name on any fics I've written so far but I must say this story is the best one I've written so far, aside from Unexpected Behavior ;) I'm glad I'm in your favorite stories, thanks a lot. And I updated in less than two weeks! Although the chapter is short so sorry about that part.  
  
Next Chapter :  
  
Tsunade is informed of the situation and takes the necessary measures to deal with it. In the mean time, Kakashi and the others met up with Shikamaru and Kiba, while Sasuke and Neji search the Sand Village and find something that might lead them directly to Naruto.........  
  
Read and REVIEW ne?  
  
Thanks again  
  
Ookima 


	10. The Encounter

A New Path Chapter 10 : The Encounter ...  
  
Synopsis : Tsunade is informed of the situation and takes the necessary measures to deal with it. In the mean time, Kakashi and the others met up with Shikamaru and Kiba, while Sasuke and Neji search the Sand Village and find something that might lead them directly to Naruto.........  
  
Pairings : Main pairing will be Gaara x Naruto.  
  
Disclaimer : I don't own Naruto but wish I did. Because if I did, I'd be rich and happier.  
  
Important note : Contains shonen-ai, in other words boy loves boy, don't like then don't read  
  
Gomen but Gaara might start to be a bit OCC, but I'll try to keep him as sane as he usually is.  
  
EXTRA INFORMATION :  
  
- This takes place after the Chuunin exam, although, Sasuke never went to join Orochimaru.  
  
- Also, the fight between Sasuke and Naruto on the Hospital roof did occur.  
  
- Important to have read up to Volume 20 of the manga Naruto  
  
JUTSU LIST  
  
- Byakugan – White Eyes - Description: This jutsu is activated in the eyes, much like the Sharingan. Sharingan actually developed from Byakugan. This jutsu allows the user's vision to become 360 degrees. The user is able to see fully around them, and all their surroundings. Byakugan also has the ability to see objects, and view the inner coil system of a person's body, and in advanced cases, the Chakra Holes. Using this, the user can attack the inner organs of a person, and do high amounts of damage.  
  
- Sharingan – Description : A pupil born technique, which allows the user to do to a large number of things. The Sharingan's first and most well known ability - is to memorize any technique that it is a witness to - as well as register the movements of opponents. Second, it is able to hypnotize the opponent, giving an advantage to the user. It can also suggest movements to the hypnotized brain, and 'see through; any illusionary techniques. Although it is a power jutsu, it absorbs chakra. The power of the Sharingan is judged through the amount of dots in the persons eye.  
  
JAPANESE WORDS  
  
- baka = idiot -  
  
- dobe = dead last -  
  
- naruhodo = I see -  
  
- Chikushou = damn / dammit -  
  
- naze = why -  
  
- hai = yes / yeah -  
  
- Arigatou = Thank You -  
  
- Gomen = Sorry -  
  
- Urousai = Shut up -  
  
============================================================================ ==========  
  
*Sand Village*  
  
--- Hidden Sand Gates ---  
  
"I'll stay" Naruto gave his answer with a little smile, as his cheeks were still wet by the few tears he shed  
  
Gaara seemed a little confused as the blond walked closer to him, and wrapped his arms around the sand-nin's waist and buried his head in the soft fabric of Gaara's chest.  
  
"As long as you want me here, I'll stay........." Naruto replied as he no longer held back his tears  
  
Naruto clang to Gaara, as this one wasn't sure of what to do too much as he was still shocked that the boy had accepted to stay in the first place, and more surprisingly, he stayed because he wanted the blond to stay with him.  
  
"Then you might stay here for a long time........." Gaara whispered as he wrapped his arms once more around the kitsune  
  
"I don't care......... As long as I'm not alone anymore......... I don't care ........." Naruto continued to cry his eyes out as his eyes slowly closed  
  
Without his knowledge, Naruto's body became numb as he fell to his knees. Fortunately, Gaara tightened his grip on the blond to prevent him from falling further, as something unexpected also interfere.  
  
"Nani?" Gaara's eyes widened as he noticed the sand from his gourd had come out and surrounded them carefully, as if it waited for something to happen  
  
Gaara unwrapped his arms around the blond, which caused this one to fall, but immediately, the sand interfered and gathered under Naruto to slowly lay him down on the ground, while Gaara simply observed the scene before him.  
  
"Yashimaru, Okaasan......... I may have found that someone who I can give this love, and perhaps, also give me this love........." Gaara whispered with a little sad smile.  
  
Gaara raised his hands in the air as the sand lifted the exhausted Naruto off the ground and gently back in the sand-nin's arms. Naruto's head rested against Gaara's chest, as his arms were crossed above his stomach, but what caught the boy's attention mostly, was seeing how Naruto was smiling.  
  
"I finally found someone who's like me......... and understands me at last........." Naruto mumbled in his deep sleep.  
  
The sand retreated back in the gourd as Gaara held closely, and protectively, the young boy in his arms, as he headed back home. This feeling that Gaara didn't understand or comprehend, made him do something that hadn't happened in a long time.  
  
Gaara smiled.........  
  
----  
  
Gaara observed the blond he held for several minutes, as his smile faded away. He knew all too well that if the Villagers saw him like this, they could try something against him, which he wasn't worried about, but if they attempted something on Naruto, it would be another story.  
  
And so, Gaara started to walk back home and knew he had take the crowded streets in order to get there. Gaara started to walk back home, as the streets simply seem to empty themselves. With each step Gaara took, the Villagers quickly stepped aside to get out of the monster's way, but yet this did not prevent them from whispered harsh words behind his back.  
  
"That cute little blond never had a chance with that thing chasing him..." A woman spoke out as she held tightly to her own child.  
  
"Even though he is Kazekage's son, he should of dealt with the monster before it became this dangerous..." A man whispered to his male friend that stood next to him.  
  
"I hope that boy has a quick death ..." Another woman let out.  
  
"Poor thing..." An old man mumbled.  
  
The whispers continued as Gaara simply ignored them but could clearer feel the sand swirl inside his gourd.  
  
"So warm ..." Naruto mumbled as Gaara was the only one to hear those sweet words.  
  
Gaara held the blond tighter and closer as he was only minutes away from arriving at his house.  
  
============================================================================ ==========  
  
*Konoha Village*  
  
---Tsunade's Office ---  
  
Tsunade sat back on her chair as he rubbed her forehead and closed her eyes, while she seemed exhausted due to all the paper work she had to distribute and sign.  
  
"Tsunade-sama." A familiar female voice spoke out.  
  
Tsunade raised her head as he looked at her door to see a search team had already returned, which could only mean one thing.  
  
"Have you found Naruto?" Tsunade asked without loosing any time as she stood up.  
  
The group composed of Asuma, Kurenai, Chouji and Ino came inside the office, while Asuma made sure to close the door behind them.  
  
"Iie, but we have an idea where he might be." Kurenai replied as Asuma finished to give the Hokage the rest of the information.  
  
"But we'll need your help to get him." Asuma finished as he lit up a new cigarette.  
  
"Name it" Tsunade bluntly said  
  
"I know things are still rough between us and the Sand Village, but we need temporary passes to enter it." Kurenai explained  
  
"Why are we here anyway?" Ino bluntly asked as her arms were crossed and gave an angry sigh.  
  
"Ino, let Asuma and kurenai-sensei explain" Chouji asked his teammate as he ate more chips.  
  
All eyes turned to the female blond as she realized this might be a good time to actually shut up and stay silent like Chouji. Tsunade turned back her attention at the two Juunins for more explanations.  
  
"Why would Naruto be in Sand Village?" Tsunade asked  
  
"He was brought there by force by a genin too well known in Konoha." Asuma half answered her question.  
  
"I'm sure Jiraiya-sama told you about him. He's name is Gaara of the Desert. Naruto fought him and his demon Shukaku when Sand broke their alliance with us and allied with Orochimaru instead." Kurenai answered with a serious look and tone.  
  
"Are you saying that this Gaara has Naruto?" Tsunade asked to make sure she understood all this.  
  
"Hai, we still don't' know the real motives hidden behind his kidnapping, but as we speak, Nara Shikamaru is leading a small team into the Sand Country, as well as Jiraiya and Kakashi should be on their way as well." Kurenai further explained.  
  
"So mind handing us some passports so we don't brake any rules of the recent agreement between Konoha and Sand Village?" Asuma asked with a smile.  
  
"You'll have them at your disposal in 5 minutes." Tsunade informed them as her friend Shizume entered the office.  
  
"How many do you need?" Shizume asked as she took out the right papers and placed them in front of Tsunade's face.  
  
"The numbers of people you sent after Naruto." Asuma let out with a puff of smoke.  
  
"Then a dozen it is." Tsunade said as she signed all the papers needed and then she needed to find an understandable excuse to use and which the Sand would accept.  
  
"Hmm. Question here. How are we going to find them? After all, that bug freak, the dog and the Hyugas aren't with us. So how are we suppose to join up with them?" Ino asked a bit worried.  
  
"No worries, Kakashi thought of that possibility and left us a little something." Tsunade spoke out while she finally finished writing those papers.  
  
"How?" Ino asked pessimistically.  
  
Tsunade let out a small laughter as she simply pointed at the corner o the room. A strange little dog came out as he walked before Ino to come face to face with her.  
  
"You better be a good human and obey me" The dog spoke out as he sat down and observed the female.  
  
"NANI!?" Ino yelled out as she almost wanted to strangle the sog where he stood.  
  
"Pakun, be nice or else Kakashi's going to know about this." Tsunade warned the dog knowing that he would obey.  
  
Seeing the tension rise between them, Kurenai kneeled down and picked up Pakun in her arms as Ino cursed under her breath, while Chouji didn't seem to care that much.  
  
"Pakun already is familiar with Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke's scent, so he'll lead up right to the teams." Kurenai informed the two students as she made sure Pakun wouldn't try to jump out of her arms.  
  
"First I had to track the Uchiha kid and now it's his teammate. I'm not just good to track his students. As a matter of fact he should keep them on a leash." Pakun commented as this earned him the deadly glare of Ino for taking badly about Sasuke.  
  
"Are they ..." Asuma started to ask but was interrupted by the Hokage.  
  
"Here are your passes, make sure they get these so you can all search the Village." Tsunade informed them as she handed her friend the passports.  
  
"Don't we need a reason to go in there?" Chouji asked as he finished his bag of chips.  
  
Shizume handed out the passports to Kurenai, while Tsunade looked at the team before her, before letting out a sigh.  
  
"Since we are still under certain disagreement with the Sand Village, therE's only one reason, and one reason alone, that the Sand would agree to let Leaf shinobis enter their Village." Tsunade started  
  
"Are you saying that Naruto's ..." Asuma started to say as his eyes widened and his cigarette fell from his lips.  
  
"Hai, For the moment, Uzumaki Naruto became a missing-nin. So you are to retrieve him under that circumstance." Tsunade spoke out seriously.  
  
"We ... We understand ..." Kurenai mumbled as she prepared to leave the office, well aware that Tsunade probably wished to be alone at a time like this.  
  
"We'll find him and bring him back home." Asuma let out before he followed Kurenai and urged his two students to follow him.  
  
As the team left and now had a new mission, Tsunade laid back lazily in her chair as she took deep breaths and slowly let them out. She then felt a warm hand gently grip her shoulder and looked up to see her long time friend.  
  
"They'll find him ..." Shizume softly said to her friend.  
  
"I know, but once they find him, will he want to come back?" Tsunade sadly said as she closed her eyes and a tear fell out of them.  
  
============================================================================ ==========  
  
*Sand Borders*  
  
Shikamaru laid down on his back, as he watched the clouds in the stars, and ignored the continuous growls of his teammate Kiba. Kiba sat down on a branch of the same tree where Shikamaru rested lazily, as Akamaru rested on the boy's head to keep them aware of anything out of the ordinary.  
  
"Woof woof" Akamaru barked continuously as he jumped off Kiba's head jumped down to the ground where Shikamaru was.  
  
"What is it boy?" Kiba asked as he looked down to his dog a bit worried.  
  
"Seems we got company." Shikamaru stated as he raised himself to his feet to what seemed really troublesome for the new Chuunin.  
  
"Ally or enemy?" Kiba asked as his eyes focused to where Akamaru barked at.  
  
As the minutes passed, the tension grew stronger, as their hearts started to beat faster as their ears caught up with some branches being broken. Akamaru continued to bark, as Shikamaru placed his hands together ready to do his shadow binding technique if the situation called for it.  
  
"Where's Sasuke-kun and Neji-nisan?" A familiar voice spoke out from behind Kiba.  
  
Kiba nearly had a heart attack as he jumped out of surprise from the branch and landed face first on the ground level.  
  
As Kiba stood back on his feet he faced his attackers that were up there in that tree, when he noticed silver eyes and then pink hair.  
  
"Hinata! Since when do you sneak up on your teammates!" Kiba yelled at her for actually catching him off guard.  
  
"Go ... Gomen ... Gomen Kiba-kun..." The Hyuga girl stammered as she played with her fingers nervously.  
  
Next to Hinata, stood Tenten and Sakura, Sakura couldn't help but laugh at how Kiba somehow resembled Naruto sometimes as Tenten let out a giggle, amused at how Kiba reacted when he was at fault.  
  
Shino walked by Kiba as he hands remained stuffed in his pockets, as he gave a look through those glasses to his teammate.  
  
"A shinobi should be aware of his surroundings." Shino commented as this earned the death glare by Kiba.  
  
"Urousai!" Kiba yelled out as his fists clenched and he only wanted to hit the other boy for showing off his attitude and knowledge.  
  
Shikamaru relaxed as he now knew that Gai's team had finally come back with Jiraiya and Kakashi, as they walked out of the shadows to where Akamaru first barked at.  
  
"You're lucky Neji and Sasuke aren't here or they would of attacked you by now, mistaking you for the enemy." Shikamaru commented as he leaned against the tree relieved that they were allies and not enemies.  
  
"That would be Sasuke alright." Kakashi commented with a smile, as Jiraiya and Gai stood on each side of the Juunin.  
  
"Speaking of the genious, where are Neji and Sasuke? Gai asked as he could not find them on site.  
  
"We separated to cover more ground quickly. Me and Kiba stayed behind to wait for you guys, while Neji and Sasuke entered the Sand country to continue their search. So now that you're here, we can rely on Shino's companions to take us to them." Shikamaru explained clearly to the Juunins and Sennin.  
  
"Those two can be in danger, without passports if they get caught ..." Sakura started to worry when she looked at her sensei.  
  
"No worries, we heard it from Gai that Kurenai and Asuma went back to Konoha to inform Hokage. I know them too well that they'll get those passports and come join us as soon as they can." Kakashi explained to reassure his student.  
  
"But Kakashi-sensei, how will they find us? They don't have any way to track us down ..." Sakura trailed off when she noticed the smile on Gai and Jiraiya's face.  
  
"Kakashi left that mutt behind in case this would happen. So they'll definitely find us." Jiraiya spoke out  
  
"Pakun?" Sakura let out in surprise.  
  
"Hai, Pakun's the best to track shinobis down. So Asuma and Kurenai should joins with us very soon." Kakashi explained more.  
  
"So what now?" Kiba asked as Akamaru jumped back on his master.  
  
"We wait until Kurenai and Asume return." Gai spoke out earning him the stare of every genin.  
  
"We wait!?" Kiba yelled out in shock as he was quite tired of always waiting.  
  
"If we go in Sand Village with our current numbers, we're sure to attract attention and be discovered. The best plan for the moment is to wait to get our passports and then go in. We have to trust Sasuke and Neji won't get caught, but they are the Number 1 rookies from the last two years." Kakashi explained as he knew the genins weren't too happy with the answer he'd given.  
  
"Look, half of you can't disguise your chakra well enough yet, it would eb a risk we can't afford to take for both our sakes as well as theirs. So quit whining and listen to your orders." Jiraiya ordered them as he felt anger building up inside him.  
  
"Hai ..." The girls mumbled as they were a bit scared by the sudden outburst of the great sennin, while Kiba sat down, crossed his legs and arms, and then pouted, while Shino and Shikamaru remained calm and simply waited.  
  
============================================================================ ==========  
  
*Hidden Sand Village*  
  
---Near The Entrance Gates ---  
  
Neji and Sasuke carefully made their way pass the sand-nins that guarded the gates, as they jumped on the sandy ground and scanned the area around them.  
  
"I can't feel any shinobis." Sasuke informed his companion as he placed a hand against the wall that stood between them and the Village.  
  
Neji was well aware of what Sasuke asked without asking, as he gathered his hands together and performed hand seals.  
  
"Byakugan" Neji whispered as the veins near his eyes were more noticeable than ever.  
  
"So?" Sasuke asked waiting patiently for an answer.  
  
"We're clear to get to the other side." Neji confirmed as he gathered chakra to his feet and jumped over the wall without waiting for Sasuke.  
  
"Typical." Sasuke half growled as he did the same.  
  
--- Other Side of the Gates ---  
  
Neji and Sasuke landed on the ground without making any sounds, when Sasuke was about to explore further when he noticed Neji seemed to be in thought. Sasuke walked over to the Hyuga boy as he was about to snap him out of it when he noticed Neji's Byakugan was still activated and focused on a specific place.  
  
"What is it?" Sasuke asked with a serious tone.  
  
"Naruto ..." Neji let out as his eyes softened.  
  
Sasuke's complete expression changed as his eyes widened and place a hand on Neji's shoulder to get more information.  
  
"What about him?" Sasuke asked.  
  
"I found him." Neji replied calmly as he continued to stare at the same spot.  
  
"How can you know it's him? Everyone's chakra is blue, you can't distinguish them." Sasuke reminded the Hyuga boy until this one simply smiled.  
  
"You're wrong Uchiha." Neji replied.  
  
"Explain." Sasuke demanded his explanation since he knew that chakra could only be blue unless a shinobi was cursed like he was, since his chakra turned sometimes into a dark evil purple when he lost control over his cursed seal that Orochimaru gave him.  
  
"When I fought Naruto in the Chuunin Exams, I closed off all his opening chakra points. But to much my surprise he managed to gather an unknown chakra from within him, and this one had a different color." Neji began to explain as he noticed he had Sasuke's complete attention.  
  
"He's other chakra's red isn't it?" Sasuke asked but already knew the answer to his question.  
  
"I take it that you've seen it before." Neji wanted to confirm.  
  
"Hai." Was Sasuke's only reply.  
  
"Then now you understand how I'm confident that I found our blond." Neji commented as he looked back at Sasuke.  
  
"Led the way," Sasuke gave out an order.  
  
Of course Neji winced a bit by being given an order, but he pushed that feeling aside as he decided to take point and follow the red chakra that seemed to move slowly through the streets.  
  
--- In An Alley ---  
  
Gaara had decided to take a short cut when he knew he wouldn't have the endure the presence of the people he somewhat despised with time but never showed it. He simply didn't want Naruto to hear them, since Sand Village never really hid what they said.  
  
Gaara was only a block away form his house, that he shared with Temari and Kankuro, when his sand shifted more violently in his gourd. Immediately, Gaara stopped walking, as his eyes scanned his surroundings to see if there was something off.  
  
"Two shinobis are coming this way ... Father should of learned with time that it's useless to send assassins after me ..." Gaara mumbled as he remembered he still had the blond boy in his arms.  
  
He knew having Naruto with him while these two assassins were coming to claim his life would endanger the boy, and so Gaara kneeled near the alley wall as he gently laid the blond down on the ground in a sitting position.  
  
"I'll protect you no matter what." Gaara whispered to the sleeping boy as he stared at him with curious eyes.  
  
After several seconds of staring at the boy, Gaara cupped the cheek of Naruto and leaned forward as he gave a soft kiss on the blonde's forehead before he stood up again, waiting for his attackers to show themselves.  
  
Gaara removed the cork from his gourd, as the sand fell out of it and gathered at the sand-nin's feet, while Gaara simply crossed his arms and remained with emotionless eyes.  
  
Suddenly, kunais and shurikens came from above Gaara but of course his sand formed a ball that covered every inch of his body, stopping the attack immediately, as he waited to see the face of his attackers.  
  
"You have something that belongs to us..." A shinobi spoke out with glowing red eyes.  
  
"And we'd appreciate it if you gave him back to us ..." A silver eyes shinobi asked as both so called assassin landed on the ground, a few meters away from Gaara's current position.  
  
The shield of sand retreated to the ground at Gaara's feet, as the so called assassins noticed the sleeping young boy who barely laid 2 meters away from the sand-nin's position.  
  
"Uchiha Sasuke and Hyuga Neji." Gaara stated as he recognized the two shinobis who stood before him.  
  
"Hand us Uzumaki Naruto right now, and we will leave the Sand Village as soon as he's in our possession." Neji informed the sand boy, but this one seemed unchanged by the offer.  
  
"Uzumaki will remain here. Unless you have a death wish, leave now, before I change my mind, unless of course you want to face my monster once more..." Gaara let out as he uncrossed his arms and stared at the two shinobis.  
  
Neji and Sasuke began to worry as they were well aware against the demon Shukaku, they wouldn't stand much of a chance and with Naruto in his possession, things could get worse.  
  
"Why would Konoha want Naruto back? After all, you all ignored him since he was born." Gaara spoke out with a certain anger that could be easily felt around him.  
  
Sasuke and Neji remained silent as they knew that Gaara's words were correct, but even so, to them, Naruto was their friend, even though they didn't show it very well to the blond.  
  
Sasuke clenched his fists as his Sharingan was very visible, while Neji's Byakugan was also activated, in case they would start a battle right here and now. Both were concentrated on how to deal with things when they heard mumbles that came from behind Gaara.  
  
"Naruto." Neji and Sasuke said at the same time as they noticed the boy was waking up.  
  
Naruto's body moved a little, as the boy brought his hands over his eyes and started to rub them so his vision would no longer be blurry. Naruto finally opened them to awaken to a Gaara who stood in front of him, while he noticed two familiar figures who were facing Gaara.  
  
His eyes widened as he finally recognized who those two shinobis were. Naruto managed to stand up, although his body started to shake a little, as his eyes never left the two shinobis.  
  
"Sasuke ...?" Naruto mumbled as he froze in place from seeing the person who betrayed him, standing only a few meters away from himself.  
  
TBC  
  
============================================================================ ==========  
  
Sorry for the delay of this chapter but you better be happy because this chapter is 4000 + words so I worked really hard so be happy. I had totally no idea what the heck to write down! But hope it came out ok since I spent the entire day re writing it since it never seemed to be good enough for me. Be sure to let me know ne?  
  
Plus I finally got the inspiration to write this chapter after I downloaded Episode 78 of Naruto. Now if only the chapter 212 of the manga could come out today as well... Oh well, hope you kinda liked it.  
  
IMPORTANT NOTE  
  
Some commented about rechecking with my beta reader but the thing is I DON'T HAVE a BETA READER to check out my work, but I know I sometimes jump form past to present tense, but I'm doing what I can!  
  
REVIEWS  
  
TheTrueSilver : Well I figured that deep down, a demon protects what its host desires, in this case, Gaara wants Naruto. So I'm glad you liked it.  
  
Foamy and Foolproof : I like your fics too! I was so disappointed when you left a message saying it was discontinued ...sniff sniff. If you need any help don't hesitate to email me ok? And I update my stories as I can, after all I have 5 stories and try to update weekly, and by this week-end I'll have 7 of them, I'm starting to wonder if I'm insane or not...  
  
Ookami Kage : well I hope you update you fics soon in that case because I really like them too! And thanks for the compliment!  
  
Red Rose : Of course Naruto stayed, it wouldn't be a Gaara x Naruto fic if he left don't ya think? Anyway, this chapter explained partly why entering Sand Village isn't too bad, so I hope that answered your question.  
  
Silver Neo : I'm always so happy when I respond and read your review, they totally make my day. Hope you weren't disappointed with this chapter, I still find it lame lol. But next chapter will be fun.  
  
Insanechildfic : I'm very happy to know you stick around my fics. Thanks again for your support.  
  
Kuroi hikari : I updated as soon as I could! I haven't seen you around lately either, hope you check out my other stories ne?  
  
Rubymoon17 : thanks for sticking around all the time.  
  
RavensHaelo : I found so little gaara x Naruto fics here it almost made me cry. So I decided to give it my shot and not rush into things so no one's too OCC like I've seen, and yes, they will meet up again, very soon.  
  
Renn : Indeed, writing the next few chapters will be hard on me and them because things get a lot complicated, I'm hoping these chapters will be well written and not bite lol.  
  
Arbil : I think everyone should love Gaara! Poor little thing got treated such in a bad way. Now that Naruto sticks around, things will get better.  
  
Anael Razualle : I update as soon as I can, considering I got 5 stories to manage and soon 7 lol. But I'll try not to disappoint any of you.  
  
Death Phoenix : I update as soon as I could thanks for reviewing!  
  
hyperactivator : thanks for reviewing and the smile  
  
Silverknight7 : thanks for the review, hope to see you again soon too  
  
MaroonSorrow : Naruto's always so cute when he mumbles things ne? And Gaara being the nice gentleman and carry him back to his new home. Things will get interesting form now on ne?  
  
Someone : I know it's wrong to separate those two that's why they're gonna stick togethere to matter what ... I hope ...  
  
Burning tree : your wish to have Sasuke and the others meet up with Gaara and Naruto is about to become true in the following chapters. And things will start to develop more between the new couple.  
  
Fluffy-kins : thanks for your three reviews and of course Naruto will fall in love with Gaara or else this wouldn't be a fic about them ne? I update as fast as I can, I would like to see other writers update weekly 5 stories like I do, plus one that has the longest chapters ever.  
  
--NC-- : Damn right! Anybody who tried to take Naruto from Gaara will suffer a great deal of pain before they get killed. So what could happen when Sasuke and Neji caught up with him?  
  
Moonlight2 : sorry about the dots, because before, when I made 9 dots ff.net only showed 3, and when I use to write 3 only 1 showed up, so now I'm back to going at 3 and the site seems to accept it better. Give me a chance to get Gaara to kiss Naruto, besides in this chapter it happened, so kawaii ne? As for the length of the chapter, well update weekly means sometimes shorter chapters, hope you understand.  
  
Mashed Potato Master : I was wondering where you disappeared to. I lost a few reviewers and this pained me a bit but I'm really glad your back. Besdies who cares what those damn Villagers think anyway, they treated the poor sand-nin so bad, they're just lucky he didn't kill them off yet ne?  
  
A special thanks to MaroonSorrow for being my 200th reviewer!  
  
Next Chapter :  
  
Sasuke and Neji finally caught up with Gaara and Naruto, but how will Naruto react? And what's Gaara going to do to keep his only precious person with him? And then, Kakashi and the others finally enter the Village, to then catch up with the two genins.  
  
Read and REVIEW people  
  
Thanks again  
  
Ookima 


	11. Face to Face

A New Path Chapter 11 : Face To Face  
  
Synopsis : Sasuke and Neji finally caught up with Gaara and Naruto, but how will Naruto react? And what's Gaara going to do to keep his only precious person with him? And then, Kakashi and the others finally enter the Village, to then catch up with the two genins.  
  
Pairings : Main pairing will be Gaara x Naruto.  
  
Disclaimer : I don't own Naruto but wish I did. Because if I did, I'd be rich and happier.  
  
WARNING : Contains shonen-ai, in other words boy loves boy, don't like then don't read  
  
Gomen but Gaara might start to be a bit OCC, but I'll try to keep him as sane as he usually is.  
  
EXTRA INFORMATION :  
  
- This takes place after the Chuunin exam, although, Sasuke never went to join Orochimaru.  
  
- Also, the fight between Sasuke and Naruto on the Hospital roof did occur.  
  
- Important to have read up to Volume 20 of the manga Naruto  
  
JUTSU LIST  
  
- Byakugan – White Eyes - Description: This jutsu is activated in the eyes, much like the Sharingan. Sharingan actually developed from Byakugan. This jutsu allows the user's vision to become 360 degrees. The user is able to see fully around them, and all their surroundings. Byakugan also has the ability to see objects, and view the inner coil system of a person's body, and in advanced cases, the Chakra Holes. Using this, the user can attack the inner organs of a person, and do high amounts of damage.  
  
- Sharingan – Description : A pupil born technique, which allows the user to do to a large number of things. The Sharingan's first and most well known ability - is to memorize any technique that it is a witness to - as well as register the movements of opponents. Second, it is able to hypnotize the opponent, giving an advantage to the user. It can also suggest movements to the hypnotized brain, and 'see through; any illusionary techniques. Although it is a power jutsu, it absorbs chakra. The power of the Sharingan is judged through the amount of dots in the persons eye.  
  
- Chidori - The Thousand Birds - Description: This jutsu is Kakashi's sole original technique, originally formed for the use of assassination. The user, gathers such a large concentration of chakra in the had, that it becomes visible. Pushing the limits of the body, the user charges forward, the chakra amount growing, as does the incredible speed. The chakra becomes so powerful, that it becomes similar to a blade, and is able to cut through near anything. The attack creates a constant 'chi' noise, sounding like a thousand birds advancing towards you. The jutsu gained its name from this sound. This jutsu gained the nickname 'Lightning Edge' or, Raikiri - When Kakashi cut a bolt of lightning in half using it.  
  
JAPANESE WORDS  
  
- baka = idiot -  
  
- dobe = dead last -  
  
- naruhodo = I see -  
  
- Chikushou = damn / dammit -  
  
- naze = why -  
  
- hai = yes / yeah -  
  
- Arigatou = Thank You -  
  
- Gomen = Sorry -  
  
- Urousai = Shut up -  
  
============================================================================ ==========  
  
*Hidden Sand Village*  
  
--- In An Alley ---  
  
Gaara had decided to take a short cut when he knew he wouldn't have the endure the presence of the people he somewhat despised with time but never showed it. He simply didn't want Naruto to hear them, since Sand Village never really hid what they said.  
  
Gaara was only a block away from his house, that he shared with Temari and Kankuro, when his sand shifted more violently in his gourd. Immediately, Gaara stopped walking, as his eyes scanned his surroundings to see if there was something off.  
  
"Two shinobis are coming this way ... Father should of learned with time that it's useless to send assassins after me ..." Gaara mumbled as he remembered he still had the blond boy in his arms.  
  
He knew having Naruto with him while these two assassins were coming to claim his life would endanger the boy, and so Gaara kneeled near the alley wall as he gently laid the blond down on the ground in a sitting position.  
  
"I'll protect you no matter what." Gaara whispered to the sleeping boy as he stared at him with curious eyes.  
  
After several seconds of staring at the boy, Gaara cupped the cheek of Naruto and leaned forward as he gave a soft kiss on the blonde's forehead before he stood up again, waiting for his attackers to show themselves.  
  
Gaara removed the cork from his gourd, as the sand fell out of it and gathered at the sand-nin's feet, while Gaara simply crossed his arms and remained with emotionless eyes.  
  
Suddenly, kunais and shurikens came from above Gaara but of course his sand formed a ball that covered every inch of his body, stopping the attack immediately, as he waited to see the face of his attackers.  
  
"You have something that belongs to us..." A shinobi spoke out with glowing red eyes.  
  
"And we'd appreciate it if you gave him back to us ..." A silver eyed shinobi asked as both, so called assassins, landed on the ground, a few meters away from Gaara's current position.  
  
The shield of sand retreated to the ground at Gaara's feet, as the so called assassins noticed the sleeping young boy who barely laid 2 meters away from the sand-nin's position.  
  
"Uchiha Sasuke and Hyuga Neji." Gaara stated as he recognized the two shinobis who stood before him.  
  
"Hand us Uzumaki Naruto right now, and we will leave the Sand Village as soon as he's in our possession." Neji informed the sand boy, but this one seemed unchanged by their offer.  
  
"Uzumaki will remain here. Unless you have a death wish, leave now, before I change my mind, unless of course you want to face my monster once more..." Gaara let out as he uncrossed his arms and stared at the two shinobis.  
  
Neji and Sasuke began to worry as they were well aware against the demon Shukaku, they wouldn't stand much of a chance and with Naruto in his possession, things could get worse.  
  
"Why would Konoha want Naruto back? After all, you all ignored him since he was born." Gaara spoke out with a certain anger that could be easily felt around him.  
  
Sasuke and Neji remained silent as they knew that Gaara's words were correct, but even so, to them, Naruto was their friend, even though they didn't show it very well to the blond.  
  
Sasuke clenched his fists as his Sharingan was very visible, while Neji's Byakugan was also activated, in case they would start a battle right here and now. Both were concentrated on how to deal with things when they heard mumbles that came from behind Gaara.  
  
"Naruto..." Neji and Sasuke said at the same time as they noticed the boy was waking up.  
  
Naruto's body moved a little, as the boy brought his hands over his eyes and started to rub them, so his vision would no longer be blurry. Naruto finally opened them to awaken to a Gaara who stood in front of him, while he noticed two familiar figures who were facing Gaara.  
  
His eyes widened as he finally recognized who those two shinobis were. Naruto managed to stand up, although his body started to shake a little, as his eyes never left the two shinobis.  
  
"Sasuke ...?" Naruto mumbled as he froze in place from seeing the person who betrayed him, standing only a few meters away from himself.  
  
-----  
  
A long minute of silence filled the alley, as Naruto simply stared at the two genins before him, still shocked by their presence in Hidden Sand Village.  
  
"Naruto, get your ass over here." Sasuke demanded his former rival as he pointed to his own feet.  
  
"No." Naruto said with a serious tone.  
  
"Naruto, the fact you left the Village without authorization was illegal. But Hokage-sama hasn't placed you yet on the missing-nin list. She wants you to come back, we all want you to come back." Neji informed the boy as he took one step forward.  
  
"The only person that might actually give a damn whether I left the Village is Iruka-sensei. Everyone else could care less of what truly happens to me especially the adults." Naruto spat out as his anger could clearly be seen.  
  
"Surely your sensei cares as well as ..." Neji started to talk some sense into the boy but was roughly interrupted by him instead.  
  
"Kakashi-sensei you say? Don't make me laugh, that guy only cares about the sole survivor of the great Uchiha clan." Naruto quickly corrected the Hyuga boy.  
  
"Naruto's becoming unstable because of that Uchiha and Hyuga ..." Gaara noted as he stayed silent, but kept a close eye on his precious person.  
  
============================================================================ ==========  
  
*Konoha and Sand Borders*  
  
Gai, Kakashi and Jiraiya stood in the middle, as their students surrounded them, and waited for the instructions to how they would now handle the situation, until Kurenai's team returned with some information.  
  
"Only one team will enter Hidden Sand Village, the rest will remain at the borders, and wait for our return." Kakashi clearly explained as he looked over to Jiraiya to continue.  
  
"The following will be part of the team which will search for Naruto and enter the Village, will be Shikamaru, the brat with the dog, the bug user and pinky overthere, along with myself, Kakashi and Gai." Jiraiya explained the new team, as Kiba and Sakura gave him a glare for how he referred to them.  
  
"Why ... Why not ... More ...?" Hinata stammered as she remained half hidden behind Shino.  
  
"The brat often talked to me about pinky there, as well as his respect for Shikamaru, and then his strange bound with doggy boy there, as for Shino, we need him to track down the location of Sasuke and Neji." Jiraiya explained, which earned him a few more glares for the way he kept calling them.  
  
"As for myself and Jiraiya-sama, I'm Naruto's sensei on Team 7, while Jiraiya-sama trained him before the Chuunin exams, as well as after a missing-nin showed up in our Village." Kakashi explained so the genins would all understand.  
  
"Then why Gai-sensei?" Tenten asked a bit curious to why her sensei should be going since he had no connection with the boy to genin with.  
  
"As Shikamaru informed us, Gaara of the Sand has Naruto within his possession, Kakashi and Jiraiya-sama are well aware of my great strength and would be foolish to leave me behind." Gai explained with his usual great smile and thumb up.  
  
Kakashi and Jiraiya simply rolled their eyes and lowered their head as they still couldn't believe how Gai could act and say that to everyone.  
  
"Do you think they found him by now?" Kiba asked as Akamaru now rested on his head.  
  
"We can only hope that if they did, Gaara wasn't too close ..." Shikamaru let out as he gazed towards the borders that separated Leaf and Sand.  
  
"I hope for their sake." Shino blunty said as he leaned against the tree and stuffed his hands in his pockets.  
  
============================================================================ ==========  
  
*Hidden Sand Village*  
  
--- In An Alley ---  
  
The argument went on, as Naruto seemed to let out most of his feelings to the Uchiha, as well as the Hyuga boy, while Gaara remained silent, for now ...  
  
"Dobe, just come back with us before you make things worse." Sasuke managed to place a word, as he took a step forward as well.  
  
"Worse? Staying in a Village that only wants me dead since I was born because of what I am is worse than being on the missing-nin list and hunted down." Naruto let out as he came close to Sasuke.  
  
"What you are? You don't make any sense, I know that some Villagers ignore you but ..." Sasuke started but Naruto quickly pushed him away from himself.  
  
"Don't you get it you bastard!? I would rather have your past then my own. So if the Hokage puts me on the missing-nin list and sends Anbu after, that's fine with me." Naruto let out in anger, as very angry Sharingan eyes looked at him, while he took a step back.  
  
"My past? Dobe do you even know what it was like to have my older brother kill off the entire clan and leave me, to be the sole survivor of it?" Sasuke spat out in anger as his blood started to boil, just like on the night where things got worse between him and the blond shinobi.  
  
"At least you had people that actually cared about you before he took that away ... I never even knew one bit of my family. I don't even know if Uzumaki stands for anything. I just remember that my caretaker changed every damn week until I turned 6, from there, they simply stopped coming and then I lived on my own ..." Naruto said with a weak voice as he remembered hurtful events of his childhood.  
  
This caught both genins off guard, as this was the first time they actually saw a broken Naruto before them, on the verge of tears, as Sasuke's expression, as well as Neji's, softened upon hearing such words, but what surprised them most, was what Naruto said after that ...  
  
"I guess this was my fate and destiny to be hated by adults, and for the others to ignore me. So you see Neji, you were right, and I was wrong." Naruto regained control over his emotions, as he did not want to brake down again, especially with those two in front of him.  
  
"What happened to the Naruto I faced during the Chuunin Exam?" Neji asked with a serious tone, in hopes to understand the situation better.  
  
"He stopped fighting against his destiny, his fate, and finally gave into the hate and the darkness." Naruto answered as he locked eyes with Neji.  
  
============================================================================ ==========  
  
*Near Konoha Borders*  
  
Pakun led Kurenai and her team through the forest, as they all leaped tree to tree, while the Kurenai took the front with Pakun, the two genins remained behind her, while Asuma guarded their rears.  
  
"How long?" Kurenai asked the dog.  
  
The dog continued to jump as he sniffed the air to give a proper answer to the Juunin, while the two genins simply remained silent, as Asuma, continued, somehow, to smoke.  
  
"If we pick up the pace, we're there in less than 5 minutes." Pakun replied as he started to jump faster from tree to tree.  
  
"Ino, Chouji, we'll move faster." Kurenai informed them as her eyes never left the dog.  
  
"Can't we take a rest for me to eat?" Chouji asked, as his stomach growled.  
  
"Don't you even think of anything else!?" Ino scolded the boy.  
  
"I can't help it that I'm hungry..." Chouji trailed off as more growls were heard.  
  
"You can eat all you want in 5 minutes ok?" Asuma told his student.  
  
"Really?" Chouji asked as he looked behind him.  
  
"Yes. It's most likely that they've divided teams, so some remain at the border while another enter the Sand Village." Asuma informed them.  
  
"I'll finally be able to eat!" Chouji yelled out of joy, as Ino seemed depressed by her comrades attitude.  
  
"Come on you two, let's hurry it up." Kurenai asked of them, as they all nodded and quickened the pace.  
  
============================================================================ ==========  
  
*Hidden Sand Village*  
  
--- In An Alley ---  
  
The hate could be easily felt, as Sasuke began to think it might be his fault that Naruto has no interest in coming back with them, while Neji was fighting the urge to beat some sense into the blond shinobi.  
  
Gaara's sand rested at his feet, but would be prepared in case something were to happen, while Naruto stepped between the two Leaf genins and the only sand-nin present.  
  
"Naruto ..." Neji whispered in shock of what the boy had just said.  
  
============================================================================ ==========  
  
*Leaf and Sand Borders*  
  
The team waited as they heard a few barks that came from Akamaru. The team stood up as they wondered if it was ally or enemy, until Sakura seem to go in depression from seeing the four legged creature before them.  
  
"It's that dog ..." Sakura mumbled as Hinata and Tenten turned towards the girl to understand better what she meant.  
  
"So the mutt finally came back." Jiraiya spoke out as Pakun glared at the sennin.  
  
"Call me like that again and I assure that you will never write again." Pakun threatened the sennin as he sat down and scratched the back of his head with his back paw.  
  
"Kakashi."Kurenai let out as the rest of her team stood behind her.  
  
"Do you have them?" Kakashi asked as she showed him the passports in her hand.  
  
"How many are going in?" Asuma asked as he joined the others.  
  
"7." Gai replied.  
  
"Let me guess, we're not included again." Ino spat out in frustration.  
  
"Give the passports to the team on your right, along with Jiraya, me and Gai. The rest will remain here in case something happens in the mean time." Kakashi informed them as a passport was thrown to him.  
  
"Where's that Hyuga boy and Sasuke-kun?" Ino asked as she had yet found her crush.  
  
"They're currently in the Sand Village ..." Sakura replied with a weak and worried voice.  
  
============================================================================ ==========  
  
*Hidden Sand Village*  
  
--- In An Alley ---  
  
"I'm not going back now or ever." Naruto said with a serious tone and expression on his face.  
  
"Then you leave us no other choice..." Neji said sadly as he grabbed Naruto's wrist and pulled him towards himself and Sasuke.  
  
The moment Neji had gripped Naruto, Gaara's sand began to swirl around his feet and slowly rise, as the blond struggled to get out of his former opponent's arms.  
  
"Let me go!" Naruto yelled out as Neji's arms were wrapped tightly around the blonde's waist and arms, but he still struggled.  
  
"Shut up dobe! One way or another you're coming back." Sasuke stated as he noticed Gaara who stared at them and seemed slightly angered.  
  
"Let him go." Gaara ordered them as the sand now was as high in the air as his head, but continued to swirl around him.  
  
Sasuke stepped in front of both boys as he came face to face with Gaara, and prepared himself to use his Chidori if necessary, as Neji didn't know quite what to do.  
  
"What now?" Neji asked, as he had difficulty to restrain the blond.  
  
"If he's too much trouble, knock him out cold, we'll deal with it later. Leave, you should come across Kakashi and the others while you go back to Konoha Village.  
  
"I won't let you hurt Naruto anymore ..." Gaara spoke out loud enough so Naruto could hear his soft and serious words.  
  
Once he heard those words, Naruto's body seemed to relax a little as Sasuke didn't understand the meaning behind them, until he heard Neji gasp and turned around, as his eyes widened upon the scene.  
  
"I don't want to go back ... I don't want to be alone and hated anymore ... I just want to be with him ... Gaara ..." Naruto thoughts as his eyes closed tightly as red chakra began to swirl around the boy, as he then opened themas the color of his eyes went back and forth from blue to crimson red.  
  
"He's too emotional ... It seems the fox is surfacing ..." Gaara thought as he raised his hand towards Neji and Naruto.  
  
Sasuke remembered that move as he warned Neji and Naruto to get out of the way, as the sand quickly made its way towards them. Naruto lsot no time as he violently leaned forward enough for his mouth to connect with Neji's hands as he bit hard on them, and looked straight into Sasuke's eyes with hatred.  
  
The fact Naruto bit him caught Neji off guard as he immediately unwrapped his arms around him and covered the bloody bite mark the blond shinobi left him. Naruto landed gracefully on his feet, while one hand remained pressed against the ground.  
  
"What the hell ...?" Sasuke let out as he was shocked to look once more into those eyes. The same eyes he had looked into when they first encountered Orochimaru.  
  
Naruto was prepared to charge at Sasuke, when a certain substance held him there. He looked down at his feet to notice sand covered his legs and slowly made it's way up to the rest of his body.  
  
Gaara walked towards the blond, as Neji and Sasuke remained frozen from the scene. Naruto growled, as his eyes focused on the sand-nin, until he felt enormous pain in his stomach.  
  
"Naze...?" Naruto half growled as managed to place a hand on Gaara's shoulder.  
  
Gaara had punched Naruto in the stomach with a lot of force, as the boy along with the kitsune's rage slowly succumbed into the darkness, as his grip on the sand-nin loosened.  
  
"Rest. My kitsune..." Gaara whispered as the sand rose and formed a sphere around the unconscious boy.  
  
"Naruto!" Sasuke and Neji yelled out as they lost sight of Naruto's entire body, as a sand sphere surrounded him completely.  
  
"Leave or die." Gaara gave them the choice as he waited for their answer.  
  
TBC ...  
  
============================================================================ ==========  
  
Well, another chapter written, although things did not turn out like I wanted them too, but I think it's a little good and not too bad, at least I think so, but I do kinda hate this chapter, it's so hard right now to write ...  
  
I'm so happy to have like 30 reviews this time, my reviewers are either coming back or the fact I now update almost every 5 days or so ( when I don't work that much or have no writer's block ) like it, well more reviews do help a writer you know, so keep it up people!  
  
Just a small note people, slowly Gaara will become a tiny bit more OCC than usual since I'm moving to some more fluff interaction between Naruto and Gaara, hell it's the only way if you want them to be together ne?  
  
Onto the REVIEWS  
  
TheTrueSilver : Well I tried to make Gaara act as sane and normal as possible. So hopefully I did a good job.  
  
Insanechildfanfic : thanks for reviewing every chapter and story I write, I highly appreciate it!  
  
Death Phoenix : thanks for the review!  
  
Anael Razualle : Well Naruto was too emotional to actually know what to do at first, so Gaara did something out of logic in my opinion to protect what is his now.  
  
Fluffy-kins : Well there was some angst in this chapter, before Gaara knocked the blond out that is, so that's how I thought things would turn out when this idea popped up in my head, hope you liked it!  
  
RavensHaelo : I update as I can, as mentioned in most of my stories, I work full time, go to school part tim, and lately, I've ignored my boyfriend to update my two hottest stories for you dear reviewers! Glad to know you find it cool. Thanks again!  
  
Kuroi hikari : Now that Gaara's found his special someone, I pity the shinobis that try to take Naruto away from him ne?  
  
Silver Neo : thanks for supporting me. And as you see, Gaara-chan didn't have Naruto taken away from him, although he could of found another way ne? If you like the pairing SasuNaru, check out my latest story ' Rivals or Lovers' you might like it, it's the second hottest story behind this one. Let me know!  
  
Someone : Yeah I hope, me so mean lol. Sorry but sometimes some reviews actually give me a few ideas through their own reviews and it only makes me write longer and for you people to enjoy more. I update as soon as I can, since I'm working on my second hottest story at the same time.  
  
Rubymoon17 : thanks for the great compliment, this really helps me going instead of just giving up you know? Oh and I wrote the two sequels of Unexpected Behaviour, so please take a look at them!  
  
Lydia*-Blessing : I find it special too and the logic behind the sand protecting Gaara, is the love from his mother. I think my way to detail and take my time with getting those two together makes this fic special and not seem so OCC like some I've read. That's how I see it though, but I just took up a challenge since they weren't many of those here, so I gave it a shot, and look where I am, my next step is maybe an Itachi x Naruto fic. Well I'll stop bragging ...  
  
... : nice scary sentence you got there, I update as I can since I have now 8 stories to update weekly, so hope you liked this chapter!  
  
Renn : Thanks, well with my writer's block gone, things get more fun, just damn hard to update weekly all 8 stories you know? I update regularly because I hate writers that simply abandon their fic or take like 6 months before they update again, so I told myself I wouldn't be like that.  
  
Moonlight2 : you should check out my 'Rivals or Lovers?' story, that one has over 6500 words per chapter, my first one had 8400 words. But I know many want longer chapter, but longer chapters mean no more updates weekly, so I decided to put them around 3000 words each so it's average.  
  
Manga_Lover123 : I'll keep up the good work for as long as I can.  
  
SoulRetriever13 : I so love your stories too, can't wait for them to be updated, and thanks for reviewing!  
  
Catc10 : I can't believe you read this at 4 a.m! I'm very grateful you reviewed though, the fact I got like 28 reviews helps my fingers to type even faster and update in less than a week. So review this chapter too and so on!  
  
SilverKnight7 : glad to see you in every story and to review them, thanks!  
  
JadeTiger : Thanks for the compliment!  
  
Tidus2529 : I update as I can, and usually it weekly, at most, every two weeks, otherwise, the progress of each fic is showed on my personal page.  
  
Nikkler : Well I didn't have too many ideas further than that, so I've been thinking for like 5 days to what and how I'm going to write the future chapters because things get really complicated, trust me!  
  
Arbil : I can't believe that Gaara, Kankuro and Temari saved their butts! So unexpected but yet I love it! I hope Naruto can bring Sasuke back though, I really don't want him to turn against leaf you know? Now about my story, thanks for reviewing!  
  
Muchacha : I know, they didn't get separated, would be too sad and I would have gotten to all the trouble to just get them separated again, hell no! Gaara found a way to keep Naruto, for now, and without the leaf knowing that he actually gave up on them a while back.  
  
Lanny : Well, that's like previous chapters, but yeah, she tends to attack people who are near her brother, so it was logical. Well, Gaara's a bit OCC but I don't have a choice or else this fic wouldn't exist ne?  
  
Peter Kim : Your reviews sometimes help me think further and give me more ideas for future chapters, I highly appreciate them.  
  
Shadow Eclipse : thanks for reviewing!  
  
Red Rose : Well, not all witll actually enter Sand Village, some will remain at the borders, or near the gates, but there's only one team that's going inside the Village to get Naruto, and you'll find out soon.  
  
Silvermist 91 : I have no clue either how I can update all stories and still do well at school, well actually I had an exam and I got like 38% but that's because it's hard to remember 500 pages for that exam, but no worries, I'm a last minute studier, or else I can't assimilate or remember the information even if I studied for a week.  
  
Kori Nibiki : I'm sure my reviewers would even like it more if it was beta read as well. Also, the other reason I usually don't have a beta right now is because I hate waiting like a few days before I get the story back and then publish it. And that's what's keeping me from getting one, might be a stupid wish, but  
  
Next Chapter  
  
I really don't know what's going to happen!!!  
  
Thanks again for reviewing!  
  
Read and Review people!  
  
Until next time!  
  
Ookima 


	12. New Players

A New Path Chapter 12 : New Players  
  
Synopsis : Now Neji and Sasuke must find a way to get back Naruto from Gaara but will they succeed? New players will enter the fight as a temporary solution will be proposed by both parties representing their Villages.  
  
Pairings : Main pairing will be Gaara x Naruto.  
  
Disclaimer : I don't own Naruto but wish I did. Because if I did, I'd be rich and happier.  
  
WARNING : Contains shonen-ai, in other words boy loves boy, don't like then don't read  
  
Gomen but Gaara might start to be a bit OCC, but I'll try to keep him as sane as he usually is.  
  
EXTRA INFORMATION :  
  
- This takes place after the Chuunin exam, although, Sasuke never went to join Orochimaru.  
  
- Also, the fight between Sasuke and Naruto on the Hospital roof did occur.  
  
- Important to have read up to Volume 20 of the manga Naruto  
  
JUTSU LIST  
  
- Byakugan – White Eyes - Description: This jutsu is activated in the eyes, much like the Sharingan. Sharingan actually developed from Byakugan. This jutsu allows the user's vision to become 360 degrees. The user is able to see fully around them, and all their surroundings. Byakugan also has the ability to see objects, and view the inner coil system of a person's body, and in advanced cases, the Chakra Holes. Using this, the user can attack the inner organs of a person, and do high amounts of damage.  
  
- Sharingan – Description : A pupil born technique, which allows the user to do to a large number of things. The Sharingan's first and most well known ability - is to memorize any technique that it is a witness to - as well as register the movements of opponents. Second, it is able to hypnotize the opponent, giving an advantage to the user. It can also suggest movements to the hypnotized brain, and 'see through; any illusionary techniques. Although it is a power jutsu, it absorbs chakra. The power of the Sharingan is judged through the amount of dots in the persons eye.  
  
- Chidori - The Thousand Birds - Description: This jutsu is Kakashi's sole original technique, originally formed for the use of assassination. The user, gathers such a large concentration of chakra in the had, that it becomes visible. Pushing the limits of the body, the user charges forward, the chakra amount growing, as does the incredible speed. The chakra becomes so powerful, that it becomes similar to a blade, and is able to cut through near anything. The attack creates a constant 'chi' noise, sounding like a thousand birds advancing towards you. The jutsu gained its name from this sound. This jutsu gained the nickname 'Lightning Edge' or, Raikiri - When Kakashi cut a bolt of lightning in half using it.  
  
- Hakke Shou Kaiten - Heavenly Spin - Description: Another of the 'perfect defense' jutsu types. At the exact moment a blow is landed on the body, large amounts of Chakra are expelled from the Chakra Holes around the body. With that force, his body spins like a top. The combined efforts of the Chakra and the spin, first deflect the attack - then throw the opponent backwards.  
  
- Sabaku Kyuu - Desert Coffin - Description: Part of the sand demon techniques. Uses sand to cover the opponents entire body. Is uses to stop an opponents movement, or cause suffocation.  
  
- Konoha Senpuu - Leaf Spinning Wind - Description: A powerful spinning kick - aimed to knock the opponent upwards. Similar to Leaf Violent Wind, but more powerful.  
  
JAPANESE WORDS  
  
- baka = idiot -  
  
- dobe = dead last -  
  
- naruhodo = I see -  
  
- Chikushou = damn / dammit -  
  
- naze = why -  
  
- hai = yes / yeah -  
  
- Arigatou = Thank You -  
  
- Gomen = Sorry -  
  
- Urousai = Shut up -  
  
============================================================================ ==========  
  
*Hidden Sand Village*  
  
--- In An Alley ---  
  
Sasuke stepped in front of both boys as he came face to face with Gaara, and prepared himself to use his Chidori if necessary, as Neji didn't know quite what to do.  
  
"What now?" Neji asked, as he had difficulty to restrain the blond.  
  
"If he's too much trouble, knock him out cold, we'll deal with it later. Leave, you should come across Kakashi and the others while you go back to Konoha Village.  
  
"I won't let you hurt Naruto anymore ..." Gaara spoke out loud enough so Naruto could hear his soft and serious words.  
  
Once he heard those words, Naruto's body seemed to relax a little as Sasuke didn't understand the meaning behind them, until he heard Neji gasp and turned around, as his eyes widened upon the scene.  
  
"I don't want to go back ... I don't want to be alone and hated anymore ... I just want to be with him ... Gaara ..." Naruto thoughts as his eyes closed tightly as red chakra began to swirl around the boy, as he then opened themas the color of his eyes went back and forth from blue to crimson red.  
  
"He's too emotional ... It seems the fox is surfacing ..." Gaara thought as he raised his hand towards Neji and Naruto.  
  
Sasuke remembered that move as he warned Neji and Naruto to get out of the way, as the sand quickly made its way towards them. Naruto lsot no time as he violently leaned forward enough for his mouth to connect with Neji's hands as he bit hard on them, and looked straight into Sasuke's eyes with hatred.  
  
The fact Naruto bit him caught Neji off guard as he immediately unwrapped his arms around him and covered the bloody bite mark the blond shinobi left him. Naruto landed gracefully on his feet, while one hand remained pressed against the ground.  
  
"What the hell ...?" Sasuke let out as he was shocked to look once more into those eyes. The same eyes he had looked into when they first encountered Orochimaru.  
  
Naruto was prepared to charge at Sasuke, when a certain substance held him there. He looked down at his feet to notice sand covered his legs and slowly made it's way up to the rest of his body.  
  
Gaara walked towards the blond, as Neji and Sasuke remained frozen from the scene. Naruto growled, as his eyes focused on the sand-nin, until he felt enormous pain in his stomach.  
  
"Naze...?" Naruto half growled as managed to place a hand on Gaara's shoulder.  
  
Gaara had punched Naruto in the stomach with a lot of force, as the boy along with the kitsune's rage slowly succumbed into the darkness, as his grip on the sand-nin loosened.  
  
"Rest. My kitsune..." Gaara whispered as the sand rose and formed a sphere around the unconscious boy.  
  
"Naruto!" Sasuke and Neji yelled out as they lost sight of Naruto's entire body, as a sand sphere surrounded him completely.  
  
"Leave or die." Gaara gave them the choice as he waited for their answer.  
  
------  
  
Sasuke jumped back and landed beside the Hyuga, as they never took their eyes off Gaara or the sand sphere that surrounded their unconscious friend.  
  
"Any ideas?" Sasuke asked with a low voice.  
  
"I've never fought against him, unlike you." Neji added as his eyes could see through the sand barrier, and assure Naruto was still alive.  
  
"I barely survived my first encounter ... And if we move, he simply has to close his hands for the sand to instantly kill dobe ..." Sasuke trailed off when he noticed Gaara raising his hand in front of him, as though he was about to close it.  
  
"Then what are we suppose to do?" Neji asked, well aware of the situation.  
  
"Kakashi ... Where the hell are you?" Sasuke cursed silently as his eyes locked with the blank expression of Gaara's.  
  
============================================================================ ======================  
  
*Sand and Leaf Borders*  
  
Ino stepped in front of Asuma and expressed highly her opinion about how they stayed behind and waited for their arrival, while all eyes were locked on her.  
  
"If Sasuke-kun and Neji are in the same Village as that sand freak then what are you still doing here!? Get going so Sasuke-kun doesn't get hurt!" Ino yelled out loud enough for all to hear.  
  
Shikamaru was busy clearing his ear from the high tone voice of his comrade, while Sakura only felt like smacking her behind the head. Jiraiya took a step forward, as Kakashi and Gai stood behind the sennin.  
  
"Then let's get going. The sooner we leave, the sooner we can get there." Jiraiya spoke out to the search group with a dead serious tone.  
  
"Hai." Kakashi and Gai replied, as Shikamaru, Kiba, Shino and Sakura joined them.  
  
They vanished before their comrades and friends before any could say anything more, as Kurenai and Asuma relaxed a little, while up in the trees, Tenten looked over to see the fragile, shaking form of Hinata.  
  
"Come back safely ... Naruto-kun ..." Hinata mumbled, as Tenten looked down at the girl and smile from the words the Hyuga girl just spoke.  
  
On the ground level, Chouji was more than happy to sit down at the foot of a tree and open up a brand new bag of chips to eat, after his efforts to jump faster from tree to tree to get where they are now.  
  
Asuma leaned against a tree, smoking yet another cigarette, as Kurenai gave him a certain look, while Ino looked more annoyed and bored form the current situation.  
  
"How about a team some of you went back to Konoha?" Kurenai asked, getting the attention of a few.  
  
"I'm too tired to move. Plus I'm waiting for Shikamaru." Chouji answered as he ate more chips.  
  
"I'm waiting for Sasuke-kun. So until he crosses that border, I'm not moving." Ino replied.  
  
"I'll wait for Gai-sensei and Neji to come back. Besides, I have nothing else to do since Lee is still at the hospital." Tenten replied, as she threw several kunais above Asuma's head.  
  
"Watch where you throw those things please." Asuma lifted his tired eyes to meet the girl's gaze.  
  
"No worries. Asuma-sensei." Tenten replied.  
  
"Hinata? Do you wish to leave?" Kurenai asked, since her student was the only one to not object.  
  
"Iie! I'm ... I want to stay ... Until Neji-nisan returns ... Naruto-kun and Sasuke-kun too..." Hinata stammered as she only wanted to hide her little form form everyone.  
  
"We'll wait for a few hours until Kakashi sends Pakun's to us. Pakun should have some information about how things are doing." Kurenai informed the small group, as all simply went into their own little thoughts and waited for the time to come.  
  
============================================================================ ======================  
  
*Sand Village*  
  
---- In The Alley ----  
  
Once more, silence came, as they all glared at each other, while Gaara was the only one to show no emotions as usual, while Neji and Sasuke were worried about their little blond friend.  
  
"This is your last warning. Leave or you will be killed by me." Gaara repeated himself, as the sand rose a feet above the ground, between him, and his two opponents.  
  
"Why the hell did you kidnap him anyway?" Sasuke asked, in hopes to buy some time to think up a plan.  
  
"Why the sudden interest Uchiha?" Gaara quickly replied, as he knew Sasuke was responsible for most of his kitsune's pain.  
  
"Does your Village really desire another war with Konoha?" Neji reminded the sand-nin, as their so called alliance was already fragile due to their temporary alliance with Orochimaru.  
  
"For the moment, neither of us is ready for a second war." Gaara replied with certainty as he knew Neji was only bluffing.  
  
"Chikushou ..." Sasuke cursed as he never liked feeling powerless.  
  
=========================================================================== =======================  
  
*Gaara's House*  
  
Temari sat next to the window, as she looked outside to see if her little brother would soon come home. Kankuro was wrapping Karusa back in her usual bandage pack, as he had finished his last minute touches, when he looked over at Temari.  
  
"Any sign of him yet?" Kankuro asked as he walked over to his sister.  
  
"Iie ..." Temari replied with a worried tone.  
  
"Why would he go after that brat anyway?" Kankuro asked, perhaps, in hops that his sister would know.  
  
"Only Gaara could answer you that ... But ..." Temari began as she lowered her head a little.  
  
"But what?" Kankuro repeated as he stared at his sister.  
  
"Ever since he fought against that Uzumaki Naruto ... It's like that kid managed to reach Gaara in a way neither of us could ..." Temari mumbled.  
  
"I hate to admit it ... But I agree with you ... Whatever that brat told him, made Gaara seem more human ..." Kankuro let out as he placed a hand on her shoulder.  
  
"Maybe we should search for Gaara ..." Temari proposed as she looked up to her brother.  
  
"Hai, before he ends up killing someone again." Kankuro let out as he walked over to where Karusa was wrapped, and grabbed her.  
  
Temari then picked up her fan as she followed Kankuro, while they both left their house, to search for Gaara.  
  
============================================================================ ======================  
  
*Konoha Village*  
  
---- Hokage's Office ----  
  
Shizune brought more papers for Tsunade to sign every half hour, but the sennin had no desire to fulfill her duties as the fifth Hokage when she knew Naruto was in danger.  
  
"Tsunade-sama, you should really stop worrying ..." Shizune trailed off as she tried to keep her friend's mind occupied.  
  
"How can I not!? I barely could make up a valuable excuse to send in a team inside Sand Village, when our alliance with them is already fragile due to their recent betrayal. To know Naruto's in their hands, only Kami could know what they are doing to that poor boy." Tsunade blurted out as she then hit the wall next to her.  
  
"Tsunade-sama ... Remember that Jiraiya-sama is the one leading the search team, as well as the number one rookie of this year and last year as well." Shizune tried everything to calm her friend down.  
  
"I know that ... "Tsunade whined as Shizune immediately spoke out with a soft and comforting tone.  
  
"Then believe in them." Shizune told her friend.  
  
Tsunade closed her eyes as she listened to the comforting words of her friend.  
  
============================================================================ ======================  
  
*Sand Village*  
  
---- In The Alley ----  
  
"Neji, would you be able to break through that sand barrier and get Naruto?" Sasuke asked with such a low voice that only Neji could hear.  
  
"The sand is composed of chakra, I should be able to break through it by inserting my own. But there is no guarantee." Neji whispered back as his eyes focused on the ball of sand.  
  
"Do it." Sasuke replied as his eyes focused on Gaara.  
  
"Uchiha ..." Neji let out in surprise of his comrade's decision.  
  
"We have no other choice." Sasuke reminded the Hyuga boy.  
  
Neji nodded, as he placed his left foot in front of his right, and waited for Sasuke to begin. Sasuke quickly reached into his holster, as he threw several kunais and shurikens straight at Gaara, as he charged forward.  
  
"Useless." Gaara thought, as his sand rose in the air and protected him from the initial attack.  
  
Sasuke stopped in place as he quickly did the hand signs for the Chidori attack. Within seconds, his blue chakra appeared at his feet to then switch in his left hand. Sasuke then charged forward, as Gaara focused on the Uchiha, not able to see pass his sand shield to know what the Hyuga was up to.  
  
Neji rushed towards the ball of sand that held Naruto within it, as with his Byakugan, he could see the weak point where there was less chakra. He then stopped at the back of the sand sphere, where he prepared to do a counter with his own technique.  
  
"Hakke Shou Kaiten" Neji let out as his attack took effect.  
  
Neji spinned around as he released chakra from his entire body, as the sand that shielded Naruto began to open. The sand barrier shattered within seconds, as Neji could clearly see the unconscious blond on the ground.  
  
Neji stopped spinning, as he noticed the sand had already started to close the itself around the shinobi. Neji quickly grabbed Naruto by the jacket as he pulled him out of it, and jumped backwards to distance themselves from the sand, as well as Sasuke and Gaara. Neji held the blond tightly in his arms, as he looked over to see how Sasuke was doing.  
  
"Chidori!" Sasuke yelled out as he pushed his hand at the sand barrier that shielded the sand-nin, as he broke through.  
  
"This again?" Gaara let out as the bright blue of the Chidori attack came only inches from the shinobi's face.  
  
"GAARA!" A female voice yelled out from above him.  
  
The moment Sasuke penetrated the sand-nin's defense, the sand fell to the ground, as Uchiha continued to charge forward, prepared to finalize his attack on Gaara. At that precise moment, strong violent winds pushed Sasuke back, to where Neji stood.  
  
"What the ?" Sasuke let out as he looked above Gaara to see who had intervened.  
  
Temari stood on the roof of the house, behind her little brother, as her fan was wide open as the three purple dots were very visible to everyone's eyes.  
  
"Chikushou! If she's here then ..." Sasuke trailed off as he stood back up on his feet and glared at the female shinobi.  
  
Before Sasuke could finish his sentence, the puppeteer appeared, as Karusa stood right behind Neji. Karusa opened her mouth, as needles shot out of it, and headed straight for the Hyuga and Uzumaki.  
  
"A doll?" Neji thought as he managed to evade the needles, but headed straight into a trap.  
  
The moment Neji jumped and landed somewhere further away from Sasuke, Kankuro appeared before the Hyuga, in time to steal the still sleeping Naruto out of his grip, as Karusa attacked from behind.  
  
"Chikushou! I can't use Kaiten or I might injure Naruto ..." Neji thought as he pulled out a kunai to counter Karusa's attack instead.  
  
Kankuro took this opportunity and jumped away form their enemies as he went back to where Gaara and Temari stood. With one hand, Kankuro continued to control his doll, while in his other, he tightly wrapped his arm around the boy's waist so this one wouldn't fall.  
  
Sasuke threw a kunai towards Karusa's direction so this one would leave his comrade alone, as they were now back to square one, but with 3 times the trouble. Karuse stayed before the three sand-nins, while Neji regained his position, while he and Sasuke glared at them.  
  
"Gaara are you alright?" Temari asked as she jumped off the roof and landed on the ground to join her two brothers.  
  
"Take care of him." Gaara replied as Kankuro and Temari exchanged looks again, well aware that he was talking about Naruto.  
  
"Any other ideas Uchiha?" Neji asked, as he pointed his kunai towards the sand-nins.  
  
Before Sasuke could reply to the evident questions, Gaara lost no time to attack.  
  
"You should have left. Sabaku Kyuu." Gaara said as he raised his hand in front of him.  
  
The sand rose and rushed towards the two genins, as these two took a step back, well aware they could not avoid this attack forever, until something green like and a strange voice appeared, and blew the sand attack away.  
  
"Konoha Senpuu!" A strong male voice was heard, as the sand was suddenly dispersed in the air, while the sand-nin's eyes all widened, except for Gaara.  
  
"You..." Gaara let out as his eye twitched a little.  
  
Before the two Leaf genins appeared Konoha's great green beast stood before them, while a white haired man appeared as well besides Neji, while Kakashi stood next to his own student.  
  
"Sasuke-kun! Are you alright?" Sakura asked with concern as she walked towards her teammate.  
  
Behind her, Shikamaru, Kiba and Shino walked out of the shadows, as Akamaru was already hidden inside Kiba's jacket.  
  
"You have no right to be here!" Temari pointed out to them, as herself and Kankuro began to worry.  
  
"You see child. With these, we can, since we're on a mission." Jiraiya pointed out to them the passports, as he handed two over to Sasuke and Neji.  
  
"So be kind enough to hand over the missing-nin known as Uzumaki Naruto." Kakashi asked them with yet a teasing tone.  
  
"Missing-nin?" Neji and Sasuke let out at the same time as they looked at the silver haired Jounin.  
  
"It was the only way Hokage-sama found for us to enter Sand Village peacefully." Shikamaru whispered to the Hyuga and Uchiha so only they could hear.  
  
Kakashi prepared to give the two rookies more information when they heard distinct, but familiar groans from the sand-nin's side. Kankuro and Temari lowered their gaze to see Naruto was beginning to wake up.  
  
"What happened?" Naruto mumbled, as Temari walked over to give a hand to lay Naruto on the floor.  
  
Jiraiya took a step forward, as Gaara copied his movement, by talking a step forward as well. Kakashi and Gai prepared to advance as well, when their eyes looked up on the roof, as though they had detected something.  
  
"We're not alone anymore ..." Gai mumbled, while the genins were all ready to grab a kunai in case a new battle occurred.  
  
Within seconds, a rain of kunais came from above, as it clearly separated the sand-nins and Naruto, from the Leaf shinobis. Gaara remained calm, as Temari tended to the blond boy, while Kankuro got back on his feet, and prepared to the upcoming battle.  
  
"Why is there Leaf shinobis in our Village?" The leader spoke out, as many hidden shadows stepped up to the ledge of the roof, behind the three sand- nins.  
  
"Anbus." Shikamaru stated as all eyes stared at the 8 Sand Anbus.  
  
"Our fifth Hokage, Tsunade-sama, sent us to retrieve a missing-nin, known as Uzumaki Naruto, and he happens to be here. You will find the information in this scroll, signed by the Hokage herself." Jiraiya stated as he reached into one of his pockets to reveal a sealed scroll.  
  
"We will investigate this, and ask that none of you make any attempts to escape while we confirm this." The Anbu leader informed them, as he vanished from their sight but reappeared before the leaf sennin.  
  
All remained at their initial position, while the Anbu leader made sure the scroll was authentic as he then closed it, but kept it in hand. The Anbu then turned his attention towards his fellow comrades on the roof, and gave them the signal to come down to the ground, to join him.  
  
"You speak the truth. We will not interfere with your mission." The leader spoke out, as the rest of the Anbu circled around the remaining Leaf shinobis.  
  
"We do apologize for not entering through the gate, and hope you understand we had no other choice." Kakashi explained in hopes this would not get any worse.  
  
"We understand. Unfortunately, we must ask that you remain within our Village for the next few days." The leader spoke out as he turned to face the cope ninja.  
  
"May we ask why?" Gai asked a bit worried.  
  
"A sand storm is coming in. And your missing-nin doesn't look like he can travel back to your Village. Also, I'm sure Kazekage will want to have a word with you, while we have Leaf shinobis here to straightened things out of the misunderstandings between our villages." The leader carefully picked his words as he then looked back to Gaara and the rest of the sand-nins.  
  
"Misunderstanding my ass ..." Kiba growled, as the rest of the Leaf genins exchanged worried looks.  
  
"Kiba, calm down." Shino warned his teammate.  
  
At the same moment, while the Anbu leader discussed more into the Sand storm coming in, Naruto started to open his eyes as he let out a few words, while he placed a hand over his stomach, where Gaara had punched him.  
  
"You shouldn't move ..." Temari told him, as she brushed his blond locks out of his face.  
  
"You ...?" Naruto let out a bit surprised to see the blonde haired female shinobi next to him.  
  
"Don't strain yourself." Temari told him as she placed her hand on his shoulder to be sure he wouldn't try to stand up.  
  
Naruto then looked in front of him to notice how Gaara stood there, while some Anbu and Kankuro were present, as well as on the other side, Neji and Sasuke now had their senseis there, along with a few known genins, and his perverted sensei.  
  
"What the hell are they doing here?" Naruto asked with a very angry tone.  
  
"Seems you're a missing-nin now. And they are here to bring you back there." Kankuro informed Naruto as this one simply stared at his former senseis and so called friends.  
  
After a few minutes, the Anbu leader stepped aside as he turned his attention to the sand-nins, while the Leaf shinobis simply listened and stared.  
  
"Uzumaki Naruto." The leader began as Naruto looked up to the masked Anbu.  
  
"What do you want?" Naruto replied coldly.  
  
"Until the sand storm passes, you will remain in the custody of your Village, with one of our own shinobis by your side at all times." The leader informed the young shinobi.  
  
"Gaara." Naruto spoke out as he lifted his head to meet the gaze of the Anbu.  
  
The Anbu leader raised an eyebrow behind his mask, and stayed silent, unaware of what this Leaf shinobi was talking bout.  
  
"If you're going to treat me like a prisoner and hold me against my will. The sand-nin to stay with me at all times, I want him to be Gaara and no one else." Naruto spoke out as with a dead serious tone.  
  
"I'm afraid we cannot comply with your demand ..." The leader began to speak when Gaara stepped between him and Naruto.  
  
"You will comply." Gaara said while he crossed his arms and stared at the Anbu.  
  
"Gaara-sama, the laws state that ..." The Anbu explained but was rudely interrupted again by the sand-nin.  
  
"I've made my decision. If you still object, take it up with my father." Gaara coldly told him as he turned his back and walked towards Naruto instead.  
  
The leader gulped as he knew better than to anger the sand-nin, while the rest of the Anbus waited for their order. The leader then stepped back as he turned to face the Leaf shinobis once more.  
  
"Until we have a word with Kazekage-sama, we will provide you with a place to sleep and eat, until the situation has been decided." The Anbu informed the sennin, while the genins worried about their blond friend.  
  
"Why would Naruto want Gaara near him? They almost killed each other last time ..." Sasuke thought as he focused on the tuff of blond hair that he could see over Gaara's shoulder.  
  
"You're so troublesome Naruto ... But despite how the situation looks like, it seems there's more going on than we know ..." Shikamaru thought as he let out his serious expression.  
  
"What happened to the carefree idiot I knew?" Neji asked himself, as his Byakugan vanished.  
  
"What happened to you ... Naruto ..." Kiba thought as Akamaru gave him a sad look.  
  
"Naruto ..." Shino let out as he remained behind his sun glasses, and his hands stuffed in his pockets.  
  
"Was it because of what Sasuke-kun said that you left?" Sakura asked herself, as she clung onto Sasuke's sleeve.  
  
"The boy seems to have lost his smile ..." Gai thought as this was the first time he saw Naruto without a smile.  
  
"You'll have a lot of explaining to do ... Naruto." Kakashi thought as he placed back his headband over his Sharingan eye.  
  
"You stupid brat ... What the hell happened for you to make such a stupid decision?" Jiraiya asked himself.  
  
All were snapped out of their thought when the Anbu spoke loud enough to indicate them where they would stay for the next few days.  
  
"Gaara-sama. Since you insisted on being the shinobi to watch over the missing-nin, The Leaf shinobis will remain at your house until their departure." The leader informed the red haired boy, but this one didn't pay much attention to it.  
  
"Where's staying at that freak's house!?" Kiba yelled within his mind, as Akamaru had already retreated back within his gray jacket.  
  
"We appreciate what you're doing." Kakashi let out, as he placed his hands in his own pockets.  
  
"We will inform you when you'll meet Kazekage-sama as well as when you can leave." The leader explained.  
  
"Very well." Jiraiya replied, as the remaining Anbus stepped out of their way.  
  
"Temari-san, Kankuro-san, be kind enough to show them the way." The leader spoke out, as the two of them stepped up to the leader.  
  
"Hai ..." They both answered, as the Leaf shinobis eyed them.  
  
With that, the Anbus vanished in the smoke, as Kankuro and Temari were uncomfortable as Jiraiya, Kakashi and Gai stepped up to get a hold of their blond shinobi, when they suddenly froze in place.  
  
"Don't you dare even come near me." Naruto threatened them, as his eyes were filled with hatred towards the Jounins and the single sennin.  
  
"Baka, Kakashi-sensei and the rest of us are trying to help you before ..." Sakura yelled out as she passed by Sasuke.  
  
"Help me? Kinda late for that." Naruto replied, as he pressed his hands against the ground, and tried to lift himself off of it, but failed.  
  
"Naruto ..." Sakura let out in shock by her teammates harsh words.  
  
Most to their surprise, Gaara held his hand out for Naruto to grab if he needed help to stand up. Naruto lifted his eyes, as the hatred vanished from his eyes. The blond shinobi grabbed Gaara's hand, as the sand-nin pulled him off the ground.  
  
"Thanks ..." Naruto let out as he turned his back to his former comrades and teachers and never looked back at them.  
  
"That isn't the brat I know ..." Jiraiya let out, surprised by Naruto's sudden outburst.  
  
"We have a few days to find out why Naruto acted this way, before we head back to Konoha." Gai tried to reassure their group, while Temari and Kankuro exchanged worried looks.  
  
"Sakura, Sasuke, come on, we're going to follow them." Kakashi informed his two students, while Gai took care of having Shikamaru, Neji, Kiba and Shino follow them as well.  
  
"We'll show you the way ..." Temari mumbled as she was not pleased to have these guests in their house.  
  
To where Naruto was, Naruto had a few trouble, standing on his own two feet, when he felt those light green eyes on him.  
  
"What?" Naruto asked, as he leaned against the wall for support.  
  
"Do you wish to be home before they are?" Gaara asked.  
  
"Would be nice if it happened ..." Naruto mumbled as he closed his eyes and looked up to the sky.  
  
"Then hold onto me." Gaara replied.  
  
"Eh?" Naruto looked at Gaara with confusion.  
  
Gaara wasted no time, as he lowered his body a little, as he slid his arm under those of Naruto, as he now supported Naruto's body weight.  
  
"I see." Naruto replied with a little smile.  
  
Within seconds, Gaara jumped back on the roofs, with Naruto in his arms, as the genins worried about their comrade.  
  
"Gaara's bringing him home." Kankuro reassured them.  
  
"He always hated walking through those streets ..." Temari commented as she then started to walk away.  
  
They all remained silent, as they all followed, except for Kakashi, that remained behind for a personal reason.  
  
"Aren't you coming Kakashi?" Gai asked, as he turned his head to face his rival.  
  
"I'm sending Pakun back to the borders to inform of the situation. He should be able to make it before the sand storms starts." Kakashi explained, as he bit his thumb and did the hand signs for the summoning.  
  
Pakun appeared at the feet of Kakashi, as he looked up to the shinobi and seemed displeased.  
  
"I'm not searching for someone again." Pakun stated with a serious tone.  
  
"I only want you to head back into Konoha territory with this information." Kakashi informed his companion as he showed him a scroll.  
  
"Just that?" Pakun asked, not believing one word.  
  
"Just that, make sure Tsunade-sama also is aware we won't be back there for a few days, but things are under control." Kakashi informed the dog.  
  
"Very well, but if this ends up being on of your tricks, you won't be able to read those books ever again." Pakun warned the Jounin, as he took the scroll in his mouth, and headed back to Konoha.  
  
"Kakashi, you forgot to tell him that he might encounter a sand storm." Gai reminded his long time rival.  
  
"If he hurries up, he should be able to avoid it." Kakashi let out with a smile, as he then walked in the direction his team headed for.  
  
"Kakashi ..." Gai let out as he followed his rival as well.  
  
============================================================================ ====================== *Gaara's House*  
  
---- Gaara's Room ----  
  
Within minutes, they had reached the house, as Gaara helped Naruto up the stairs as they then headed for Gaara's room. Once they've entered, Gaara carefully let go of his drip on the blond shinobi, as this one simply leaned against the wall, head lowered towards the floor, as though he was ashamed or to hide something.  
  
"Gomen..." Gaara apologized as he leaned against the opposite wall from where Naruto stood.  
  
"For what?" Naruto asked, as he stared at the floor.  
  
"You were unstable. I punched you." Gaara explained in only a few words, but Naruto understood.  
  
"It's ok ... You know something? They actually don't know ... Only the adults know that Kyubi's inside of me, the rest don't ..." Naruto trailed off as a few droplets of water fell on the floor.  
  
Gaara heard the sound as he stared at the floor where the blond stood, and understood that Naruto was crying. Although his face was covered by his locks of golden hair, the tears continue to fall on the floor, as Naruto's body leaned forward, as his placed both his hands in front of his own face.  
  
"This really sucks you know? I try to escape what hated and ignored me for so long and now that old hag puts me on the missing-nin list and I have to go back there ... It's going to be hell again ... I don't want to go back!" Naruto yelled out as his vision blurred because of the water in his eyes.  
  
"It isn't good for you to get too emotional ..." Gaara reminded the blond shinobi, who paid no attention to his words.  
  
"It isn't fair! Why stay somewhere when I know they only want to kill me and for me to leave but because of a stupid law, they have the right to keep me in such a place ... I'd rather die then to go back to how things were!" Naruto continued his shouts as Gaara walked towards the blond.  
  
"Naruto ..." Gaara whispered as he stood before the broken shinobi.  
  
"I just want the pain to go away ... I'm tired of feeling this pain in my heart and pretend everything's ok when it's not... I just don't to feel the pain anymore ..." Naruto clutched his chest as he felt Gaara's hand under his chin, forcing him to raise his head to meet those pale green eyes of the sand-nin.  
  
"Shhh ..." Gaara whispered as he placed two fingers on the boy's lips.  
  
Naruto's tears continued to fall on his cheeks and then land on the wooden floor, as he couldn't tare his eyes off of Gaara's when he felt the hand under his chin removed, as well as the fingers on his lips.  
  
"Gaara what are you doing...?" Naruto managed to let out before the sand-nin replied.  
  
"I will protect you ... And make sure you never feel pain again ..." Gaara mumbled, before he placed his hands on Naruto's shoulders.  
  
Gaara pinned down Naruto against the wall, but much to his own surprise, the blond shinobi didn't fight back. Gaara leaned forward, as he placed his own lips against those of Naruto's. Naruto's eyes widened at first, as he had each of his hands wrapped around Gaara's wrists tightly.  
  
"Somehow ... This doesn't feel wrong ..." Naruto thought as his grip loosened around Gaara's wrists.  
  
Naruto slowly closed his eyes, as he let his hands fall beside him, but then raised one as it rested on Gaara's shoulder. Gaara closed his eyes as well, as he pushed deeper within the kiss, as he noticed the blond responded to his own kiss.  
  
"So warm and yet gentle ..." Gaara thought as he felt at peace for that short moment.  
  
"This feeling ... I like it ..." Naruto told himself as he kissed back the sand- nin.  
  
TBC?  
  
============================================================================ ======================  
  
Well another chapter out and hopefully this was the best version among all the version I wrote. I had a few problems again since I'm in the crucial part of the writing but something new came up in my mind, so I hope things will turn out ok.  
  
Also, sorry for the late updates on most my stories but I was called to work all week-end! So I only had time to sleep and then I have an exam on Tuesday, so unfortunately, I had to ignore my fics for a few days. Hopefully it won't happen before a long time again.  
  
By the way, this chapter had 6500 + words, that's among my longest chapters ever written for this story, so you better appreciate it! * Evil eyes *  
  
-----  
  
REVIEWS  
  
Gisela / Gaara-Chan / tidus2529 / Jennifer Colburn / Anael Razualle / fluffy-kins : Thanks for the reviews and the compliments! I really appreciate them so keep them up!  
  
TheTrueSilver : I thought so too that my writing is getting a tiny bit better. I watch out more for those two words that I screw up all the time and the mistakes.  
  
Someone : Well Gaara wants to protect Naruto, and under the emotional stress Neji and Sasuke put him through, he saw how he was more hurt and all. Plus the fact that they still believe that Gaara kidnapped Naruto is a good thing for Naruto for now.  
  
Nikkler : I updated as soon as I could! Plus it was the only way I found to knock Naruto out so my evil ideas may continue like I want them too.  
  
Ookami Kage : My boyfriend understands how I love writing so he's ok with it. Besides he doesn't have a choice * smiles evilly * . Anyway, An out of control Naruto is not what they need, plus I needed it to happen for this chapter to be written.  
  
Muchacha : we'll they'll eventually leave, but I'm not revealing if it's with or without Naruto yet. The guys are calm but they don't have too much of a choice either, cuz back in the Chuunin exam Sasuke couldn't even beat Gaara so they know to analyze the situation first, knowing back up is coming.  
  
Mashed Potato Master : Hey there, you're back. For a moment I thought you abandoned my fic like some other people. Thanks for reviewing!  
  
Peter Kim : You were right, I included Temari and Kankuro in the end. You are always the best one to deduct things like these.  
  
Lydia*Blessing : You'll find out in a few chapters if Naruto goes back to Konoha or remains in Hidden Sand Village.  
  
Peter Kim *2 : They'll learn of it eventually but I don't want to rush into it either, hope you understand. Naruto is aware that Tsunade and Jiraiya might care but they don't show it as much lately and that's what affected Naruto.  
  
Foamy and Foolproof : Continue your updates cuz I like your stories. I'm glad you enjoyed this chapter cuz writing got harder lately.  
  
-NC- : So kawaii to see a protective Gaara over Naruto, and those two, Hyuga and Uchiha better be careful or else they could get it ne?  
  
nicki-gurl : I'm glad you enjoy this story. I know I lost a few reviewers because I didn't rush things, but the hardest pairings to write about is ( Gaara x Naruto ) and ( Naruto x Itachi ), so I'd rather take the time and put some fluff here and there but no worries, things will get more interesting between the two after I'm past the angst and the fight. Should be like in two chapters or something.  
  
Arbil : Indeed, in the manga when I read the later pages I was like Gaara's back!!! I was screaming my lungs out at 2 o'clock in the morning lol. Woke up my parents, but it was so cool, I can't wait for the next chapter in the Manga. Thanks for liking my story too, it really helps me to continue such a story.  
  
Hana : To answer your question, to let Naruto fight would imply Naruto wanted to stay in the Village and not the hypothesis that Shikamaru told them about him being abducted and all. So that way Gaara, thought that Naruto wouldn't be branded a missing-nin yet. Just buying themselves some time to think up a plan.  
  
Gina Reed : Gomen for the suspense but I didn't have a choice to cut it there because I didn't know when to cut and my imagination was running low at the time.  
  
Narutofreak22 : I was like yourself, I despised shonen-ai until I read this cute fic by Shirohane. Then I fell in love with it, but only for Naruto fics, the rest I can't swallow them yet. So I'm glad you enjoy this.  
  
Otaku freak : They will find out about Kyubi later, just not right now, will take a few chapters but the truth will be out! Plus I'm going to have some more Gaara and Naruto interaction, so a lot of people will be happy ne?  
  
Red Rose : so funny the way you put things lol. And as you know Kakashi and Jiraiya finally appeared, although Naruto's still unconscious. But he'll be very much awake in the next chapter!  
  
Silver Neo : nice little story, keep them up, and when it Rei-san coming back or any of the Naruto characters to talk ne? Would like to see them again! Keep it up!  
  
Renn : I know I'm brave, 8 stories, although some I update each two weeks because they aren't my biggest ones you know? Well I hope this was a good chapter, despite nothing much happened.  
  
Shadow Eclipse : You reviewed at the last moment when I prepared to update my fic. I'm happy to know you didn't forget this chapter.  
  
Moonlight2 : Glad o have you back! Well I'm seeing the surroundings and place for maybe Naruto to forgive but thigns will get interesting that I can guarantee.  
  
------  
  
Next Chapter :  
  
No Previews, because it's in the critical part so I don't want to spoil things, plus I don't know how next chapter might turn out to be as well.  
  
------  
  
Thanks again for reviewing I highly appreciate and keep those reviews up so my brains doesn't decide to go on a new writer's block ne?  
  
Read and Review!  
  
And check my other stories if not already done!  
  
Until next time!  
  
Ookima 


	13. Not Alone Tonight

A New Path Chapter 13 : Not Alone Tonight  
  
Synopsis : Gaara and Naruto now draw closer, while the the Leaf shinobis are dead set on knowing why Naruto's attitude changed and why he left.  
  
------  
  
Pairings : Main pairing will be Gaara x Naruto.  
  
------  
  
Disclaimer : I don't own Naruto but wish I did. Because if I did, I'd be rich and happier.  
  
------  
  
WARNING : Contains shonen-ai, in other words boy loves boy, don't like then don't read.  
  
------  
  
Gomen but Gaara might start to be a bit OCC, but I'll try to keep him as sane as he usually is.  
  
------  
  
EXTRA INFORMATION :  
  
- This takes place after the Chuunin exam, although, Sasuke never went to join Orochimaru.  
  
- Also, the fight between Sasuke and Naruto on the Hospital roof did occur.  
  
- Important to have read up to Volume 20 of the manga Naruto  
  
------  
  
JUTSU LIST  
  
-  
  
-  
  
------  
  
JAPANESE WORDS  
  
- baka = idiot -  
  
- dobe = dead last -  
  
- naruhodo = I see -  
  
- Chikushou = damn / dammit -  
  
- naze = why -  
  
- hai = yes / yeah -  
  
- Arigatou = Thank You -  
  
- Gomen = Sorry -  
  
- Urousai = Shut up -  
  
============================================================================ ==========  
  
Recap

  
  
Gaara's House   
  
---- Gaara's Room ----   
  
Within minutes, they had reached the house, as Gaara helped Naruto up the stairs as they then headed for Gaara's room. Once they've entered, Gaara carefully let go of his drip on the blond shinobi, as this one simply leaned against the wall, head lowered towards the floor, as though he was ashamed or to hide something.  
  
"Gomen..." Gaara apologized as he leaned against the opposite wall from where Naruto stood.  
  
"For what?" Naruto asked, as he stared at the floor.  
  
"You were unstable. I punched you." Gaara explained in only a few words, but Naruto understood.  
  
"It's ok ... You know something? They actually don't know ... Only the adults know that Kyubi's inside of me, the rest don't ..." Naruto trailed off as a few droplets of water fell on the floor.  
  
Gaara heard the sound as he stared at the floor where the blond stood, and understood that Naruto was crying. Although his face was covered by his locks of golden hair, the tears continue to fall on the floor, as Naruto's body leaned forward, as his placed both his hands in front of his own face.  
  
"This really sucks you know? I try to escape what hated and ignored me for so long and now that old hag puts me on the missing-nin list and I have to go back there ... It's going to be hell again ... I don't want to go back!" Naruto yelled out as his vision blurred because of the water in his eyes.  
  
"It isn't good for you to get too emotional ..." Gaara reminded the blond shinobi, who paid no attention to his words.  
  
"It isn't fair! Why stay somewhere when I know they only want to kill me and for me to leave but because of a stupid law, they have the right to keep me in such a place ... I'd rather die then to go back to how things were!" Naruto continued his shouts as Gaara walked towards the blond.  
  
"Naruto ..." Gaara whispered as he stood before the broken shinobi.  
  
"I just want the pain to go away ... I'm tired of feeling this pain in my heart and pretend everything's ok when it's not... I just don't to feel the pain anymore ..." Naruto clutched his chest as he felt Gaara's hand under his chin, forcing him to raise his head to meet those pale green eyes of the sand-nin.  
  
"Shhh ..." Gaara whispered as he placed two fingers on the boy's lips.  
  
Naruto's tears continued to fall on his cheeks and then land on the wooden floor, as he couldn't tare his eyes off of Gaara's when he felt the hand under his chin removed, as well as the fingers on his lips.  
  
"Gaara what are you doing...?" Naruto managed to let out before the sand-nin replied.  
  
"I will protect you ... And make sure you never feel pain again ..." Gaara mumbled, before he placed his hands on Naruto's shoulders.  
  
Gaara pinned down Naruto against the wall, but much to his own surprise, the blond shinobi didn't fight back. Gaara leaned forward, as he placed his own lips against those of Naruto's. Naruto's eyes widened at first, as he had each of his hands wrapped around Gaara's wrists tightly.  
  
"Somehow ... This doesn't feel wrong ..." Naruto thought as his grip loosened around Gaara's wrists.  
  
Naruto slowly closed his eyes, as he let his hands fall beside him, but then raised one as it rested on Gaara's shoulder. Gaara closed his eyes as well, as he pushed deeper within the kiss, as he noticed the blond responded to his own kiss.  
  
"So warm and yet gentle ..." Gaara thought as he felt at peace for that short moment.  
  
"This feeling ... I like it ..." Naruto told himself as he kissed back the sand- nin.   
  
------   
  
Gaara was the one who broke the kiss, much to Naruto's disappointment, as the sand-nin took a few steps back and released his blond shinobi.  
  
"Seems like they're finally here ..." Gaara looked towards his bedroom door, as Naruto was left confused and had many questions that roamed in his head.  
  
"Gaara just now ... Why did you ..." Naruto stammered as he seemed nervous, until Gaara turned his attention back to the blond.  
  
"Kiss you?" Gaara finished for him.  
  
Naruto raised his head, his own blue eyes gazed into the pale green eyes of the sand-nin.  
  
"Yeah ..." Naruto let out, surprised by how Gaara completed his sentence.  
  
"Because ... I wanted to." Gaara truthfully replied as Naruto didn't quite know how to react to this.  
  
Before Naruto could even speak another word, Gaara opened the door to reveal many sounds that came from downstairs. Naruto tossed his thoughts and questions in the back of his mind for now, as he walked out of the room and wondered what those noises were, until the sand-nin grabbed him by the wrist.  
  
"It seems That the Leaf Shinobis have arrived." Gaara repeated more clearly this time so Naruto would understand.  
  
"Oh ..." Naruto let out as he seemed to go back in his depression state.  
  
"They are only here temporarily." Gaara reminded the boy.  
  
"Here yes. But their bringing me back there ..." Naruto cursed as he lowered his head and closed his eyes.  
  
"That is yet to be determined." Gaara let out as he walked by Naruto.  
  
Naruto couldn't help but smile lightly at the idea that maybe he could find a way to escape, but then again, he left, he would have to leave the Sand Village as well, where he still didn't know how to feel or act around Gaara, but he knew one thing for sure. It would pain him more to stay away form the sand-nin then going back to the Village.  
  
"Wait for me!" Naruto shouted as he walked down the stairs to join up Gaara.   
  
============================================================================ ======================   
  
Konoha and Sand Borders   
  
The remaining genins all laid down against trees, while Tenten occupied herself by throwing kunais and shurikens around. Asuma and Kurenai waited for some sign, as the more time passed, the more worried they became.  
  
"Someone's coming." Tenten wanred them as she stood up and faced the borders.  
  
"Hinata." Kurenai spoke the name of her student.  
  
"H ...Hai ..." Hinata understood what her sensei wanted from her as she activated her Byakugan.  
  
"What do you see Hinata?" Kurenai demanded an answer, while Asuma simply smoked another cigarette, not alarmed at all by the unknown presence to come.  
  
"It ... It looks like a small dog ..." Hinata stammered.  
  
For seconds, they all stared at the borders when a small dog finally appeared and seemed a but cranky at the time. Pakun made it safely through the desert, just in time to avoid the sand storm to come.  
  
"Pakun!" Kurenai let out as she walked towards the dog.  
  
Pakun couldn't speak too well at the moment since he was holding a scroll within his mouth, and so he simply spat it out and sat down on the ground.  
  
"Kakashi wanted you to have this." Pakun stated as he scratched the back of his head with his back paw.  
  
Kurenai picked up the scroll and detached it as she began to read it's content, while the genins soon gathered around  
  
"We've located Naruto, but we ran into some trouble. By now you might notice there's a storm about to start and we have no other choice but to remain a few more days in the Sand Village. Report back to Tsunade-sama of our mission status." Tsunade read out loud.  
  
"They found Naruto-kun ... I hope he's ok ..." Hinata thought as she played with her fingers.  
  
"So can we leave now?" Ino broke the silence and captured everyone's attention.  
  
"Once we're back in Konoha you can all head home. But we'll meet tomorrow morning so you can all be updated on the status of your friend." Asuma explained to the team.  
  
All nodded as they set out to go back home, to Konoha to inform Tsunade at once of the development and turns of the mission.  
  
============================================================================ ======================   
  
Gaara's House   
  
---- Kitchen ----   
  
Temari and Kankuro led their new guests for the next few days in the large room they called a kitchen. The Leaf shinobis entered the room and remained silent, while Temari invited them to take a seat at the table, until the Anbu arrived to clarify certain things with them.  
  
"I hate situations like these ..." Sasuke thought as he looked over to his left where Neji stood.  
  
"Take a seat." Kankuro lost no time and demanded that from them.  
  
Kakashi, Gai and Jiraiya were more concerned to where Naruto was until they saw a tuff of blond hair appear at the other end of the room.  
  
"Naruto." They all let out, while they were somewhat surprised by the cold eyes he gave to them, as Gaara soon appeared behind him.  
  
Sakura only wanted to go hug her teammate but found herself, held back by Sasuke. His hand tightly wrapped around her fragile wrist as she looked up, confused to why he stopped her.  
  
"He's not himself. Just give him the space he needs." Sasuke whispered to the girl as this one nodded.  
  
Sasuke released his grip on her, while Shikamaru and Neji carefully observed Naruto's behavior and movements. Among all of them, the one that was most worried was Kakashi and Jiraiya, although they hid it well for the sake of themselves and everyone else.  
  
"Naruto ... We need to talk about ..." Kakashi began but Naruto quickly locked eyes with him.  
  
"No." Naruto quickly answered, much to everyone's surprise.  
  
Jiraiya quickly understood that for tonight, no matter what they tried to tell him or get out of him, nothing would work. And so, he placed a on the Jounin's shoulder and gave him a look that he should not let his emotions interfere.  
  
"I guess we're all tired after such a day, so I propose we all go get some sleep. This should give EVERYONE the time they need to think about the recent events. What do you think Naruto?" Jiraiya turned to watch his only student's reaction.  
  
"Yeah ..." Naruto mumbled as he lowered his eyes, still unable to look into his previous sensei's eyes, as though he feared something.  
  
"He seems to have calm down ..." Neji thought as Naruto's face expression seemed to soften.  
  
"I'm going to sleep." Naruto mumbled as he quickly left the room before anyone could protest.  
  
"He's unstable ..." Gai noticed as he worried a bit more not just for Naruto's sake, but the fear that the Kyubi might take over as he read in one of Kakashi's previous reports.  
  
"Then we'll show you to your rooms." Temari pointed to the stairs as she only wanted this over with, just like her brother.  
  
Gaara lost no time to go after the kitsune, but stopped momentarily as he exchanged stares with the Uchiha and Hyuga.  
  
"Stay away from him." Gaara warned them with a menacing tone as he left the room to go back into his own.  
  
The room remained silent, as the Jounins exchanged worried looks, just like the genins. Kankuro was about to lose his temper when Gai took matters into his own two hands.  
  
"If possible, we should maybe meet with Kazekage tomorrow morning ..." Gai suggested, since all Leaf shinobis seemed all a little shocked by Naruto's strange behavior.  
  
"I'm sure that won't be a problem. I'll have a word with my sensei first, so don't worry about it." Temari informed him as Kankuro exited the room to show them their rooms.  
  
"Follow me." Kankuro let out as he was already out of the room.  
  
All walked out as they followed Kankuro in silence.   
  
---- Gaara's Room ----  
  
Naruto sat down lazily in the darkest corner of Gaara's room, as the sand- nin entered the room and made sure the door behind him was closed. He saw the emotional state his kitsune was in and wasn't quite sure what he should do since he was inexperienced in that department.  
  
"Ne Gaara? Can I sleep in your room?" Naruto asked innocently, but still feel the pain in his chest by just seeing for a short moment the Leaf shinobis.  
  
Gaara nodded as the blond made his way to the sand-nin's bed and curled up in a ball under the covers.  
  
"I'll be here if you need me." Gaara informed Naruto as he sat down, next to the bed, arms crossed.  
  
"Thanks ..." Naruto mumbled as he closed his eyes and tried to get some sleep.   
  
---- Upstairs, in the Hallway ----  
  
Kankuro showed them the multiple rooms they had available and so the only thing left was for their 'guests' to pick one out according to their taste. While the genins picked out their room, they all had to pick a roommate to share it with, as Sakura lost no time to jump at the occasion to be with Sasuke,  
  
"Sasuke-kun how about we ..." Sakura got her hopes up as Sasuke simply stared at the girl that annoyed him to no end.  
  
"No." Sasuke answered before she could even finish her question.  
  
"Sakura, since you're the only female here, you'll have a room to yourself." Kakashi explained as her shoulder fell, disappointed that she couldn't sleep in the same room and perhaps bed as Sasuke.  
  
"I'll stay with the Uchiha." Neji spoke out, much to everyone's surprise of his choice of a roommate.  
  
"Sasuke?" Kakashi turned his attention towards the boy as this one simply nodded that he agreed with Neji's proposal.  
  
"Forgive us if we don't stick around." Neji apologized as he headed for their new temporary room.  
  
Sasuke nodded as he joined Neji as well, completely ignoring Sakura who told him goodnight, when she went to her own room as well. Gai and Kakashi exchanged looks as they knew that the cold way Naruto all treated them affected each and every one of them, but hid their emotions in hopes things would get better.  
  
"Shino, Kiba and Shikamaru, you will stay in the room at the end of the hall." Kakashi informed them as Kiba growled by being forced to sleep in the same room as his no good rival Shino.  
  
"Chikushou! Why do I end up with that know-it-all bastard!" Kiba cursed within his mind while Akamaru looked oddly at his master sudden change of facial expression.  
  
"What about you three?" Shino asked out of curiosity.  
  
"All three of us will be in the room next to your own, Sasuke's and Neji's." Kakashi explained to them.  
  
As the group continued to talk, Akamaru jumped down on the floor, away from everyone's attention, except for Kankuro of course, as the small dog carefully crawled his way to a closed bedroom door on the opposite side of where the Leaf shinobis would sleep.  
  
"What the hell is that thing doing?" Kankuro asked as he raised an eyebrow and kept an eye on the four legged thing.  
  
Akamaru sniffed the crack under the door and scratched as though the small dog smelled a familiar smell. Akamaru continued to whine until he decided to bark at the door. Kankuro lost no time as he knew how his little brother had a short temper, especially since the Chuunin exam.  
  
"Get away from there!" Kankuro yelled out as he rushed over to the dog.  
  
"What are you doing!?" Kiba yelled out as he rushed over as well to protect his little friend.  
  
Kankuro almost wanted to kick the dog but as soon as Akamaru heard those footsteps coming towards him, he turned around to see a purple colored face in a black outfit that raced towards him and seemed angered, while his true master wasn't too far behind. Akamaru didn't waste time to run into his master's arms and away from the creepy painted faced guy, while Kankuro stood between the rest of the Leaf-nins and the door.  
  
"What is it Akamaru?" Kiba asked his dog.  
  
"Just a warning. Stay away from this room at all times." Kankuro warned them with a serious voice.  
  
"Just what is in that room?" Shikamaru asked with a serious expression.  
  
At that moment, Akamaru barked a few times, as Kiba lowered his sight onto his companion, to then look up at his teammates and senseis.  
  
"What did Akamaru say?" Gai asked.  
  
"Gaara and Naruto are in there." Kiba translated to them.  
  
"Naruto and Gaara in the same room?" Shikamaru thought that this was indeed suspicious.  
  
"Hai, but Gaara doesn't like to be disturbed and your friend needs his rest. He still hasn't recovered completely. If you wish to see him, then wait for tomorrow, or else I can't guarantee your safety ..." Kankuro warned them as Kiba wanted nothing more than to kick that door down and known some sense into that loudmouthed brat.  
  
"We understand. But can't we know why they are in the same room?" Jiraiya asked, but deep down wanted to know the answer.  
  
"Eh ... Gaara just likes it to have him around ..." Kankuro replied not wanting to reveal everything.  
  
Jiraiya nodded and showed he appreciated the answer as he turned his back and decided to go into his own room, as Gai took the matter into his own hands, while Kankuro kept on eye out on all of them.  
  
"Come Kakashi. We should get a good night sleep and clear up our heads. That goes for the three of you as well." Gai pointed to the three boys.  
  
Kiba cursed, while Shikamaru and Shino remained silent and walked towards their room, followed by the not so willing Kiba. Gai placed a hand on his eternal rival's shoulder to reassure him, after all his student was on the other side of the door and yet he couldn't reach him or even understand why he did such a thing to begin with.  
  
"Let's go Kakashi." Gai repeated himself, as Kakashi glanced one last time at the room before he and Gai walked into their new room.  
  
Kankuro was now relieved that they had left the two alone, since he wasn't up to deal with Gaara's angry mood again, since he was already threatened enough for the day.  
  
"About time they left ..." Kankuro told himself as he decided to leave as well to join his sister downstairs.   
  
---- Sasuke and Neji's Room ----   
  
Each bed were on the opposite side of the room as well placed in the corner, as Neji already laid down in his, staring at the ceiling. Sasuke on the other hand walked over to the window, where there was a small table and two chairs before it.  
  
"Not going to sleep?" Neji kinda asked.  
  
"Not right now." Sasuke replied as he sat down and stared outside.  
  
"Mind if I join you?" Neji asked as he turned his head lightly to get a glimpse at the Uchiha.  
  
"Hn." Sasuke replied as he placed his elbow on the table to support his head.  
  
Neji smiled as he stood back up and took the other chair. Indeed this was going to be a long night.   
  
---- Shino, Shikamaru and Kiba's Room ----   
  
The moment the small group of three entered their room, Kiba was somewhat happy of the pace in it. Three single bed, from the left side to the right were nicely placed against the wall, while the rest of the room had also a table with four chairs, as well as a sofa.  
  
"Seems like you got your own bed too Akamaru." Kiba smiled to his dog as this one jumped on a bed instead of the couch.  
  
"Seems like you'll get the couch." Shikamaru commented.  
  
Shino couldn't help but smile for a short moment as he walked over to his own bed, on the right side, while Shikamaru took the one on the left. So for Kiba he had the middle bed right under the large window.  
  
"Doesn't matter ... I don't think I'll get any sleep ..." Kiba commented as he let himself fall on his bed.  
  
"Hai ..." Shino agreed with Kiba for one of the rarest times.   
  
---- Jiraiya, Gai and Kakashi's Room ----   
  
When they entered their room, it had just about the same display, although they were four beds, each set in the corners of the room, which left the middle of the room free.  
  
Gai made sure to close the door behind them, as Jiraiya had placed his giant scroll already on the bed he picked, as the sennin opened the window, and found himself sitting in the frame and looking out into the sky.  
  
"Be patient. We'll get the old Naruto back." Gai tried to reassure both of them as he walked over to the sennin, while Kakashi simply took the nearest chair and sat down in it.  
  
"Whatever happened, hopefully we'll get the answers before we leave." Kakashi commented as he laid back and stared at the ceiling.  
  
"He's energetic and full of life, he will return to how he was." Gai continued to support them as best he could.  
  
"If it was something else I would agree ... But this time ... This time, things went too far to the point we could lose him for good ..." Jiraiya commented, while Gai now showed how worried he was.   
  
---- Downstairs ----   
  
Kankuro walked down the stairs as he came across his sister, who seemed a bit discouraged and exhausted.  
  
"What's wrong Temari?" Kankuro asked a bit worried.  
  
"They have a meeting with Kazekage-sama tomorrow morning." Temari answered as she looked into her brother's eyes.  
  
"But how are you?" Kankuro asked, worried for his sister.  
  
"Even though we don't know the whole story between Gaara and Naruto, I think it would be bad if both of them get separated. Ca you remember the last time Gaara actually smiled or showed any other emotion beside the need to kill?" Temari asked form her brother.  
  
"I know ..." Kankuro weakly replied.  
  
"For once I wish we could do something ..." Temari mumbled as she lowered her head.  
  
"Maybe there is ..." Kankuro mumbled as Temari quickly lifted her head to stare at her brother.  
  
"Nani?" Temari asked.  
  
"Just keep your mouth shut and come with me." Kankuro ordered her as he grabbed her by the wrist and walked towards his own room.   
  
---- Gaara's Bedroom ----   
  
Naruto was sound asleep in Gaara's bed on the floor, while the sand-nin seemed to be asleep as well since his eyes were closed and his arms crossed. Naruto slowly woke up as he turned to his right side to come face to face with Gaara's legs.  
  
"Gaara ..." Naruto whispered as he lifted his head slightly to notice the sand-nin was sleeping.  
  
Naruto couldn't help but smile a little by the sight of Gaara's face, since the boy seemed at peace and relaxed. Even under the sheets, Naruto felt somewhat cold, until the memory of only a few hours ago crossed his mind once more. The moment Gaara kissed him. Willingly.  
  
"I wonder what's that feeling I got ..." Naruto asked himself as he sat up on the bed.  
  
Naruto partly pulled off the sheets form his body as he crawled closer to the sand-nin when he was only a few centimeters away from his face. Naruto then carefully placed a hand to gently caress the boy's cheek and leaned forward, and gave a soft and light kiss on Gaara's lips.  
  
"Still warm ..." Naruto thought as he pulled away from the sand-nin.  
  
Although after a little kiss, Gaara remained asleep, as Naruto decided that perhaps the boy would freeze if he wasn't covered, and so Narutogot closer again, and gently wrapped a blanket to cover Gaara's body, from his chest all the way down to his feet.  
  
"Goodnight." Naruto whispered as he repositioned himself to sleep closer to the sand-nin and stay warm.  
  
Naruto gently laid his head to rest on Gaara's lap as he pulled his own blanket over him to keep his body heat with him and closed his eyes once more, to fall asleep, feeling that he wasn't alone anymore.  
  
Minutes later, Naruto was finally back to his sleep, as Gaara slowly opened his eyes, to reveal his pale green eyes, while he brought two fingers to his lips where moments ago, Naruto kissed him, truly believing he was asleep.  
  
For the second time that night, Gaara smiled.   
  
TBC?   
  
============================================================================ ======================   
  
Short and pointless chapter I know! But faster updates means shorter chapters, but among all the chapters I've written this is like the worse and I don't know why! Oh well, I'll make up for it that's a promise. Plus I didn't have many ideas for this chapter yet but the next one will be even better that's a promise!   
  
There's going to be some angst and sparks between Naruto and his former friends and sensei as we also learn why the heck is Kazekage still alive! ( I had this review that reminded me in the anime he's actually dead, so the next chapter will be the explanation to why he's alive for now. )   
  
30 Reviews! Now I'm more than happy to update soon than I was suppose to, plus I finally reached 300 reviews!  
  
So a special thanks to Egoist for being my 300th reviewer!   
  
-----   
  
REVIEWS   
  
TheTrueSilver : Hey! I updated sooner this time, but the result of that meant a shorter chapter too! Please understand, I didn't really mean to update in two weeks this fic, it's because I got called for work!   
  
F.A. Star Hawk : I found it cute too. But I told myself, it's the right time for the fluff part to start and soon those two will come together!   
  
Silver Neo : It doesn't matter if it's less funny, I still very much enjoy them you know! Gaara made Naruto feel better, and this chapter centered itself of the turmoil Naruto felt. Things are getting more and more complicated to write but more visible stuff between Naruto and Gaara! I'm sure you'll be happy.   
  
Gina Reed : Well I had to start it somewhere so I thought I couldn't pass the opportunity to make them kiss, and not accidentally this time! I'm glad you enjoyed it since I thought it could have been better.   
  
Ookami Kage : Glad you enjoyed the previous chapter! Hope you enjoy this one as well although it was a bit short, due thefast updates I need to do.   
  
Spoon no Miko : Hope I didn't keep you hanging too long! I update as I can, but as I explained, I work on shifts at my work place, so sometimes I only have time to sleep, eat and work! Thanks for the compliment! I tink this is like the longest Gaara x Naruto fic out there! And it's going to be a long one I'm sure of it!   
  
Kuroi hikari : I wans't planning on the Leaf staying over at the Sand but then I had this new idea that seemed to make more sense the the first one I had, plus it makes my fic longer, so I thought I'd try this one out. Hopefully you'll enjoy it!   
  
Tidus2529 / Jadetiger / Death Phoenix / Kitsu3 / Kitsune / silversnowpetals : Thanks for reviewing, and hope you aren't disappointed with this chapter!   
  
Ria Sakazaki : Glad to have a new reviewer who likes my story!   
  
Rubymoon17 : I think it's my best fic ever but also the hardest! To keep them all in character and not make the pairing Gaara x Naruto sound so OCC or dumb you know? Anyway, you'll be happy to learn that this fic is going to be among my longest I think.   
  
Muchacha : Glad you enjoy the twists I added so far. I'm glad how things turn out now that everyone supported the two kissing. At firs tI wasn't sure if I was taking things too fast or suddenly, now I know it was ok. So some more fluff is planned in the chapters to come, as the angst definitely went to a whole new level ne? Many things can happen when you all live under the same roof ....   
  
Anael Razualle : Yes, I'm going to have some lemony lime chapters later on that will be posted either on adultfanfiction or on my personal web page. I haven't decided yet, but the great stuff will definitely happened! And hopefully I'll be up to everyone's standards ne?   
  
Foamy and Foolproof : Glad you enjoyed this fic so far, I'm also happy to know you appreciated them kissing! I'm finally starting the real fluff now, and later will get even more serious!   
  
Renn : I'm glad you liked it! Because some have been pressuring me for them to get like 'bam' they're together and doing perverted stuff you know? So I finally started to get the stuff going!   
  
Jennifer Colburn : Thanks, I'll keep it up unless I get killed or die!   
  
Narutofreak22 : Glad you enjoy it! I don't think it will become that gross but when I'll have maybe a few lemony chapters, I'll make sure to let you know with a big warning, besides the chapters containing lemon will be posted elsewhere for those like you who only like the fluff. Hope it's ok with you.   
  
Red Rose : You made me realize that Gaara's father was actually killed!!! I totally forgot, so instead, I made something that kinda made sense, but he will end up dead anyway. So hope this was a valuable explanation in this chapter about Kazekage ne?   
  
Hn : Glad to have a new reviewer who likes the story!   
  
Nikkler : I'm glad you enjoy this story cuz this is the best I've ever written in my life so far, in my opinion that is! Can't wait for you to update your story as well. Wanted to thank you for saying I'm a great writer although I doubt I can even be compared to Shirohane, Nazo, Triste and purrfectly976. Those authors are like the best out there!   
  
Lil washu : Glad to know you enjoy this great story! And in case you haven't read it, I took up the challenge to write a fic on this pairing because I loved the pairing but never found a story that completely satisfied me and Gaara always seemed too damn OCC in half of them. So it wasn't a good pairing anymore. So I hope you continue to review!   
  
Kuji : You get to see how they all react on the first day which means more angst to come and all. Plus Gaara's more protective then ever of his kitsune. This could get really dangerous ... Thanks for letting me know you enjoy this fic and saying that it's great!   
  
- NC - : Things are getting better and better ne? Well Naruto's attitude towards his former comrades isn't too surprising either you know? After all, they're kinda late to show they kinda care and all.   
  
LilBlackNiteCat : Glad you love my story and this is the first time I saw you review any chapters of any fic I wrote. So I hope you stick around and give me your opinion ne?   
  
XxSilverWingsxx : Well I love SasuNaru fics but they are a lot of those around, but still hard to find a good one you know? That's why I have this other fic called ( Rivals or Lovers? ) that has that coupling in it. For this fic I found the pairing cute in many ways but not enough out there, plus Gaara was immediately like too OCC to my liking, so I took up the challenge to write this. Hope you continue to enjoy.   
  
Egoist : You're my 300th reviewer! Congrats! As for the yaoi scenes, well they just began to kiss an stuff, I can't have them suddenly make mad love out of the blue you know? Or else it would brake my concept of not having a OCC Gaara all the way. Things develop so people enjoy, so sorry for the wait, but first comes the fluff stuff and then comes the love making ;)   
  
------   
  
Next Chapter :   
  
No Previews, because it's in the critical part so I don't want to spoil things, plus I don't know how next chapter might turn out to be as well.   
  
------   
  
Thanks again for reviewing I highly appreciate and keep those reviews up so my brains doesn't decide to go on a new writer's block ne?   
  
Read and Review!   
  
And check my other stories if not already done!   
  
Until next time!   
  
Ookima 


	14. Confrontations

A New Path Chapter 14 : Confrontations  
  
Synopsis : After a hard night, Naruto wakes up to find that Gaara stayed with him all night, as now he must prepare for the day to come, since he'll have to confront his former teammates, friends, senseis and most of all, Uchiha Sasuke.  
  
------  
  
Pairings : Main pairing will be Gaara x Naruto.  
  
------  
  
Disclaimer : I don't own Naruto but wish I did. Because if I did, I'd be rich and happier.  
  
------  
  
WARNING : Contains shonen-ai, in other words boy loves boy, don't like then don't read.  
  
------  
  
EXTRA INFORMATION :  
  
- This takes place after the Chuunin exam, although, Sasuke never went to join Orochimaru.  
  
- Also, the fight between Sasuke and Naruto on the Hospital roof did occur.  
  
- Important to have read up to Volume 20 of the manga Naruto  
  
------  
  
JUTSU LIST  
  
None in this chapter.  
  
------  
  
JAPANESE WORDS  
  
- baka = idiot -  
  
- dobe = dead last -  
  
- naruhodo = I see -  
  
- Chikushou = damn / dammit -  
  
- naze = why -  
  
- hai = yes / yeah -  
  
- Arigatou = Thank You -  
  
- Gomen = Sorry -  
  
- Urousai = Shut up -  
  
============================================================================ ==========  
  
Recap  
  
Gaara's House  
  
---- Gaara's Bedroom ----  
  
Naruto was sound asleep in Gaara's bed on the floor, while the sand-nin seemed to be asleep as well since his eyes were closed and his arms crossed. Naruto slowly woke up as he turned to his right side to come face to face with Gaara's legs.  
  
"Gaara ..." Naruto whispered as he lifted his head slightly to notice the sand-nin was sleeping.  
  
Naruto couldn't help but smile a little by the sight of Gaara's face, since the boy seemed at peace and relaxed. Even under the sheets, Naruto felt somewhat cold, until the memory of only a few hours ago crossed his mind once more. The moment Gaara kissed him. Willingly.  
  
"I wonder what's that feeling I got ..." Naruto asked himself as he sat up on the bed.  
  
Naruto partly pulled off the sheets form his body as he crawled closer to the sand-nin when he was only a few centimeters away from his face. Naruto then carefully placed a hand to gently caress the boy's cheek and leaned forward, and gave a soft and light kiss on Gaara's lips.  
  
"Still warm ..." Naruto thought as he pulled away from the sand-nin.  
  
Although after a little kiss, Gaara remained asleep, as Naruto decided that perhaps the boy would freeze if he wasn't covered, and so Narutogot closer again, and gently wrapped a blanket to cover Gaara's body, from his chest all the way down to his feet.  
  
"Goodnight." Naruto whispered as he repositioned himself to sleep closer to the sand-nin and stay warm.  
  
Naruto gently laid his head to rest on Gaara's lap as he pulled his own blanket over him to keep his body heat with him and closed his eyes once more, to fall asleep, feeling that he wasn't alone anymore.  
  
Minutes later, Naruto was finally back to his sleep, as Gaara slowly opened his eyes, to reveal his pale green eyes, while he brought two fingers to his lips where moments ago, Naruto kissed him, truly believing he was asleep.  
  
For the second time that night, Gaara smiled.  
  
--------  
  
============================================================================ ==========  
  
Konoha Village  
  
---- Tsunade's Office ----  
  
Kurenai and Asuma's team finally came back within Konoha after an hour of leaping through trees and running on the ground. Their first stop was of course Tsunade's office, as the Hokage had nearly fallen asleep on her desk due to all the paperwork she still had to do.  
  
"Tsunade-sama." Kurenai spoke her name as her and the rest of the team stepped within the office.  
  
"Did you find him?" Tsunade immediately asked as she jumped out of her chair, hands against the desk.  
  
"Kakashi and the others did, but there's a slight problem." Kurenai replied, while the genins simply stood behind the group as though they were bored.  
  
"What kind?" Tsunade demanded an answer.  
  
"Kakashi and the rest have located Naruto with the help of the sand-nins, but they can't return home yet due to the sand storm that will soon start." Kurenai explained, while Asuma simply continued to smoke and observed the Hokage's reactions.  
  
"But he is within their custody?" Tsunade wanted to confirm.  
  
"Hai. And while they are there along with Jiraiya-sama, they'll have a few words with Kazekage about their recent betrayal towards the Leaf." Asuma specified as he stomped his cigarette on the floor, which earned him a glare from the Hokage.  
  
"The sand storm has it begun yet?" Tsunade asked, while she ignored Asuma's rude action form moments ago.  
  
"The wind started to pick up so it shouldn't take long before the real storms starts." Tenten pointed out as she seemed bored.  
  
"How much time?" Tsunade asked, very interested in the subject.  
  
"Half an hour at most." Tenten replied while Kurenai and Asuma eyed their Hokage.  
  
"Then it would be pointless to send you within the Village as well." Tsunade stated as she walked around her desk.  
  
"Hai. I suggest we all get some rest and think about what we could do once our head is clear." Kurenai proposed, aware that they all worried of not being able to do anything more than wait.  
  
"Very well. For now, you genins are off duty until this matter is cleared, as for you two, I want you in my office tomorrow morning for a briefing of another situation." Tsunade ordered them.  
  
"Other situation?" Asuma raised an eyebrow.  
  
"You'll be briefed tomorrow. Now go." Tsunade demanded as she waved them to get out of her office.  
  
Kurenai and Asuma exchanged worried looks as the genins simply let out tired sighs and quickly left the room to go to their respective homes and get the sleep they need.  
  
"Tsunade-sama ... They'll bring him back ..." Kurenai commented before she left, soon followed by Asuma as well.  
  
Tsunade sat down on the edge of her desk and sighed. She couldn't help but feel a bit better over what Kurenai told her but something else told her to worry about the situation.  
  
"As much as I want to believe you, something tells me things won't be that easy ..." Tsunade let out before she closed the lights and left her office to get some sleep or at least try.  
  
============================================================================ ======================  
  
Sand Village  
  
---- Gaara's house, In His Room ----  
  
Gaara and Naruto hadn't moved at all from their position, as the blond clung onto the sand-nin's pants. Naruto slowly opened his eyes as he noticed how warm he felt compared to all the morning he woke up to only feel the cold air in the room. It's then that Naruto noticed that the warmth came form Gaara, as well as the sand-nin had an arm wrapped possessively behind his neck.  
  
"Gaara...?" Naruto softly spoke out as he raised his head to meet those pale green eyes.  
  
"Did I wake you?" Gaara asked as he locked eyes with the kitsune.  
  
"Iie ..." Naruto let out as he laid his head back on the boy's lap and closed his eyes. "It's been a long time since I actually had a good night sleep."  
  
"I wouldn't know." Gaara let out.  
  
Naruto quickly opened his eyes, while he raised his head and upper body off the bed, his hands that supported his weight, as the kitsune looked a bit sadly at his new found companion.  
  
"Because of Shukaku you can't sleep right?" Naruto asked.  
  
"Hai." Gaara replied as he removed his arm from Naruto's neck.  
  
Naruto wanted to talk a bit more, but unfortunately, his stomach had other plans in mind. His stomach growled loud enough as Gaara raised an eyebrow and stared at the stomach, while Naruto simply sat back in bed, rubbed the back of his head, and grinned.  
  
"Hungry?" Gaara asked.  
  
"Yeah ... I didn't eat anything since yesterday ..." Naruto trailed off as felt a bit uneasy under Gaara's intense stares.  
  
Noticing that his kitsune felt somewhat uncomfortable, Gaara raised himself to his feet, and grabbed Naruto by the wrist, forcing him to stand up and follow him where ever the sand-nin went.  
  
"H...hey!" Naruto objected as he felt somewhat, dominated by Gaara, but yet, it didn't feel all that bad. He only wondered why suddenly the sand-nin grabbed him and pulled him out of bed for no reason. "Gaara! Where are you bringing me!?" The boy demanded and answer as he pulled his wrist hard enough to escape the tight grip the sand-nin had on him.  
  
Naruto tumbled back, as he landed a bit hard on his butt, while Gaara observed him, curious of his behavior. After all, most people were scared of him and never dared to resist him, but only this boy, Naruto, reacted so much differently then all the others. Because this one, understood him better than anyone else. Thus, Gaara leaned forward and held out a hand to Naruto.  
  
"Gomen. I wanted to bring you to the kitchen so you could eat." Gaara explained.  
  
"Oh ..." Naruto let out, surprised of how Gaara can be somewhat nice when the two are alone, unlike when the others, or even his siblings are present.  
  
Naruto smiled as he grabbed Gaara's hand, and the sand-nin pulled him off the floor but used a little more strength then needed. Naruto quickly got off the floor but lost his footing and fell forward, until Gaara quickly grabbed him by the shoulders, assuring that this one wouldn't fall back on the floor and wound himself.  
  
The blond looked up as he was about to thank the sand-nin, when he noticed how close they were. Their faces, only a few inches away from each other, as his deep blues eyes looked up and gazed into those pale green ones.  
  
"The only thing I can think of is feeling those lips again ... Why?" Naruto asked himself, since he never really knew what love really felt like.  
  
"Uzumaki ..." Gaara whispered his name.  
  
"Yeah?" Naruto let out, his eyes still focused on the sand-nin's lips.  
  
"Why did you kiss me last night?" Gaara asked, curious to know what motivated the blond to do something of the sort.  
  
"You ... You were awake!?" Naruto yelled out as he took a step back.  
  
"As I said earlier, I don't sleep, but I sometimes close my eyes to think." Gaara reminded the boy.  
  
"Oh ... I'm sorry ... I thought you were sleeping and ... I don't know ... Just felt like it ..." Naruto trailed off as he didn't dare to look into Gaara's eyes.  
  
"Felt like it..?" Gaara repeated as he raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Yeah ..." The boy confirmed.  
  
Gaara took a few steps forward, as Naruto remained in his position, not knowing what he should actually do. The sand-nin rose his hand and grabbed Naruto's chin and leaned forward, as his lips met those of the other boy. Naruto's eyes widened by the fact that Gaara was kissing him. Again!  
  
After a few seconds, Gaara pulled away and turned his back on a stunned Naruto. He walked out of the room, but stopped once he felt the other boy's body move, ready to ask the question. The sand-nin turned his head slightly, o have a small view of the kitsune, waiting for the question.  
  
"Why did you just kiss me?" Naruto asked, completely confused of how Gaara could act one moment and totally change another.  
  
"I felt like it ..." Gaara let out as he walked out of the room, although, Naruto was unaware, that a small smile crept on the boy's lips as he left.  
  
Within seconds, Naruto simply ran out of the room to join Gaara, as he debated within himself, how he should react, but for now, his stomach was more important. He could talk things out with the sand-nin when they would be alone after all.  
  
---- Neji and Sasuke's Room ----  
  
Both boys stayed all night looking out the window at the moon until the sand storm kicked in. They remained both silent for most of the time, lost within their own thoughts and worries for their little blond friend, until Neji decided to stand up and walked towards the door.  
  
"Where are you going?" Sasuke asked as he watched his roommate's back.  
  
"It's pointless to stay here. So I decided to grab something to eat before I go train myself. Care to join?" Neji asked, well aware how the Uchiha always liked to train, after all, Sasuke was very similar to him in some ways.  
  
"Hn. Having a different sparring partner could improve my skills even more. Especially one with a bloodlimit as good as the Sharingan." Sasuke spoke out as he got out of his chair and slipped his hands into his pockets.  
  
"Uchiha. You should have learned by now that having the Byakugan or Sharingan is an addition to your strength, but it does not make you more powerful than one that has none." Hyuga reminded the boy who stood behind him, as he closed his eyes for a short moment.  
  
"You're referring to Naruto." Sasuke coldly said as he observed Hyuga's movements and reactions.  
  
"Hai. Although I am not his teammate, it only took one fight with him, to see that both children and adults, underestimate his true strength and potential into becoming a great ninja. Surely underneath that thick head of yours, you noticed this..." Neji finished as he grabbed the doorknob and turned it.  
  
"Hn. But to me, he's still a dobe." Sasuke let out as he exited the room before Neji.  
  
As Sasuke disappeared down the stairs, Neji couldn't help but smile lightly, as he noticed that deep down, Sasuke knew that his words spoke the truth. Neji walked outside the room as he closed the door and looked back at where they learned Naruto and Gaara slept for the night.  
  
"Although a tragedy occurred in your clan Uchiha, it seems that you grew fond of Naruto, since I suppose, he's the only one that didn't treat or compare you to your brother, Itachi ..." Neji thought before he decided to leave the hall and go down in the kitchen.  
  
---- Kiba, Shikamaru and Shino's Room ----  
  
All three boys managed to get only a few hours of sleep, as they each began to wake up. Shikamaru lazily laid down on his back as he stared at the ceiling and seemed a bit depressed, while Kiba and Akamaru rubbed their eyes to clear their eyesight, and Shino, was already standing up near the window, as the bug user observed his two teammates.  
  
"Today is going to be so troublesome ..." Shikamaru stated as he sat up in his bed and sighed.  
  
"Everything's always too troublesome for you! If you always think like this why the hell did you come here to begin with!?" Kiba shouted as he jumped out of his bed and clenched his fists.  
  
"Perhaps because we were ordered to." Shino stated with his calm voice.  
  
"You gotta be kidding me!" Kiba yelled out once more.  
  
"Calm down Kiba. I'm here because I respect Naruto and he's my friend. What's more troublesome is you." Shikamaru calmly spoke out as he got out of his bed and exchanged looks with the dog-nin.  
  
"I propose we eat." Shino said out of the blue as he stared at the bedroom door.  
  
"Huh? Are you going crazy?" Kiba asked as he raised an eyebrow and stared at his teammate.  
  
The room was filled with silence as Shikamaru analyzed the situation and then understood the meaning of Shino's words.  
  
"I agree. We have a busy day ahead of us." Shikamaru agreed as Kiba quickly turned his gaze to the lazy-nin in disbelief.  
  
"What the hell!?" Kiba shouted, not understanding anything.  
  
"As one would say, it is too troublesome to explain to someone like you." Shino cleared for him before he opened the door and stepped out of the room.  
  
"Why that ..." Kiba began to curse when Akamaru sat down on his feet, while Shikamaru shook his head and placed a hand on his forehead, as though he had a headache.  
  
"Kiba, what Shino was trying to say was that Naruto isn't in his room anymore." Shikamaru cleared for him as the dog-nin seemed to understand.  
  
"Oh ... Then why the hell didn't he simply say so!?" Kiba shouted to the lazy- nin with anger.  
  
"Those are the basics of shinobi's rules, one must learn to read, listen and look underneath the underneath." Shikamaru reminded the basic rules that were taught to them at the Academy.  
  
"Whatever! I'm going to eat." Kiba said as he grabbed Akamaru from the floor and quickly walked out of the bedroom.  
  
Shikamaru sighed again before he decided to join his teammates downstairs as well.  
  
---- Sakura's Room ----  
  
Sakura laid in her warm bed as she slowly opened her eyes and pushed aside the few pink strands of hair out of her eyes and found the strength to sit up in bed. She then rubbed her eyes as to clear up her vision as she took a look outside to notice the time.  
  
"I guess the sand storm is still here ..." Sakura told herself as she slipped out of bed and went to the nearest mirror to rearrange her appearance.  
  
She carefully brushed her short hair, as she attached her Leaf headband around her upper forehead so that her pink hair wouldn't block her vision or anything. After a few minutes of preparing to be the most stunning female, she smiled at the mirror as she turned towards the door with one though in mind, and completely forgetting about Naruto's current situation.  
  
"I hope Sasuke-kun will compliment me today ..." Sakura let out softly and giggled. "HELL YEAH! I'm so beautiful that he's sure to go out with me!" Inner Sakura shouted as she waved her fists around.  
  
With those thoughts in mind, Sakura left her room and decided to go visit her beloved crush Sasuke in his own bedroom.  
  
---- Kakashi, Gai and Jiraiya's Room ----  
  
Out of all three, Kakashi and Jiraiya stayed up all night while Gai decided to get the rest they needed, although in the back of his mind he did worry about his eternal rival's student.  
  
When Gai woke up, he noticed how Kakashi was lost within his own thoughts, as the Jounin sat in a chair and leaned against the wall, while the legendary sennin focused on some scrolls that were laid down opened on his bed.  
  
"Have any of you gotten any sleep?" Gai spoke out as he sat down in his bed and rubbed the back of his head.  
  
"Iie." Jiraiya replied as he rubbed his temple with his fingers.  
  
"Kakashi?" Gai turned his attention towards his rival.  
  
"Just thinking." Kakashi replied with a bit of sadness.  
  
"Still worried about him aren't you?" Gai asked, but already knew the answer.  
  
"He's my student Gai ... I should have seen this coming ..." Kakashi blamed himself for his student's departure.  
  
"Blaming yourself won't help us or even him right now. We need to know the complete truth and why he just left al of a sudden." Gai reminded his rival their original goal.  
  
"Kakashi, this was to be expected. After all, we all knew too well that the Villagers still treated him as though he was the Kyubi himself, and the fact that Itachi appeared in the picture and wanted Naruto instead of Sasuke placed more strain on his rivalry between both boys." Jiraiya informed them as he began to close the scrolls.  
  
"He's right. I admire the boy for that too." Gai started as this earned him the attention of both shinobis.  
  
"Oh?" Kakashi raised an eyebrow, curious to what his rival could possibly say.  
  
"If Naruto didn't have such determination and a strong will, I doubt he would have been able to endure such a harsh life since he was a child. The fact that he continued to live and set out to realize his dreams, along with his will to never give up, it's amazing he lasted for so long ... I'm more surprised of how long he lasted, before he broke down and shut us out." Gai explained carefully as Kakashi and Jiraiya knew all too well that what Gai said was nothing but the truth.  
  
"The question we should ask ourselves now, is if we can still save him..." Jiraiya let out as he finally spoke out the question everyone didn't dare to say or ask out loud.  
  
---- Kitchen ----  
  
Naruto was the first that entered the kitchen room as Gaara was only seconds behind his new object of his affection. But much to his disappointment, Gaara noticed that the kitsune had placed a false smile on his face.  
  
"Naruto, don't hide yourself when I'm here." Gaara ordered him as he stared at the blond.  
  
"Gomen ... It's just how I deal with daily things..." Naruto trailed off as he stared at the floor.  
  
"It's ok ..." gaara trailed off as he noticed he made his kitsune uncomfortable.  
  
Knock Knock  
  
"Gaara, are you here?" A female voice spoke out on the other side of the door.  
  
Naruto and Gaara turned their attention towards the door as it slowly opened to reveal two distinct forms. Temari stepped in as Kankuro soon followed behind her, while he made sure that the door was closed behind him.  
  
"Ohayo." Naruto greeted them with a weak smile.  
  
"Ah ... You're up early ..." Kankuro let out, a bit surprised to see the blond there.  
  
"Kankuro." Temari murmured his name as she gave him an elbowounch on his side. "Did you sleep well Naruto?" Temari asked with a smile.  
  
"Hai." Naruto replied, a bit happy that she actually showed her concern about how he slept last night.  
  
"Naruto, would you mind if we took Gaara for a few minutes?" Temari asked while Kankuro sweat dropped.  
  
"Oh ... Sure, I'm just going to make something to eat before I go train ... Want anything while I'm in it?" Naruto asked, disappointed that Gaara had to be taken away form him for a few minutes, after all, he would have broken down a long time ago if it wasn't for the presence of the sand-nin.  
  
"Could you make me a small salad?" Temari asked, a bit worried of the boy's reaction.  
  
"Sure. I'll have it ready for when you come back." Naruto said as he turned his attention towards Gaara and Kankuro. "How about you two?" He asked.  
  
"I already ate ..." Kankuro answered.  
  
"I don't eat in the mornings." Gaara replied.  
  
With that said, Naruto turned his back on the small trio, as he searched for a bowl and was ready to prepare Temari's salad. Kankuro wanted to get out of the kitchen since he was still not use to Naruto's presence within their household. The trio exited the kitchen to discuss something that concerned their little family, while Naruto prepared Temari's salad.  
  
"I kinda feel empty when he's not around ..." Naruto thought as he reached within the refrigerator and got some salad, cucumbers and carrots out of it.  
  
---- An Empty Room ----  
  
Temari led the way inside the empty room, as Gaara was the second to enter it and last of all, Kankuro, who made sure to close the door behind them, and made sure that no Leaf shinobis were around.  
  
"Get to the point." Gaara demanded them, as he had a very short temper, more than usual when he wasn't around the former Leaf genin.  
  
"I ... I mean we kinda noticed that having Naruto around is a good thing." Temari started, not wanting to anger her little brother or anything.  
  
"You're saying that he calms both me and Shukaku." Gaara spoke the words his big sister didn't dare to, and much to both her and Kankuro's surprise.  
  
"Look Gaara ... We were thinking that maybe it would be good to keep the brat here ..." Kankuro specified, his voice trembled a little.  
  
"You stayed up all night to think of a way so we could keep Naruto." Gaara kinda asked but knew the answer as Temari and Kankuro were taken by surprise.  
  
"Never mind ... It was a bad idea anyway ..." Kankuro let out as he felt as though he had been defeated.  
  
"I want to hear it." Gaara demanded to know of this, which caught both off guard.  
  
"Maybe father could do something to keep him here." Temari stated, but a the mention of his father, Gaara glared at his younger sister.  
  
"I don't want that man's help." Gaara coldly stated as Kankuro swallowed hard, aware that his younger brother's anger towards their father.  
  
"Or maybe not ..." Temari bluntly said as she waved her hands around defensively.  
  
"I thought you had a better plan. After all you are my older sister and older brother." Gaara stated much to their surprise. After all Gaara very rarely addressed them as his siblings.  
  
"We know for a fact that the Leaf shinobis labeled Naruto as a missing-nin, so I'm surprised they didn't order his assassination. But aside of that, Konoha will not leave without him." Temari started with a serious tone, while Gaara carefully listened to her every word.  
  
"By the way things turned out last night, I take it that the brat doesn't want to go back home, for reasons only you know." Kankuro continued as his attention remained on the other side of the door.  
  
"That boy would rather be killed then to go back to his former Village." Gaara confirmed as he crossed his arms.  
  
"With that known, we came up with two options." Kankuro started as he looked over to his sister.  
  
"The first one is for Naruto to leave our Village. With you being his full time guard, he would have a head start if he were to escape. At least he would have a fighting chance to escape his Village and perhaps not be caught." Temari explained the first option, but Gaara showed that he already didn't like that option.  
  
"What about Option number 2?" Gaara asked as he stared at his sister.  
  
Temari and Kankuro exchanged a bit worried looks before they revealed in only whispers what option number two was.  
  
---- Kitchen ----  
  
Naruto finally finished Temari's salad as he placed it on the counter with a cover over it, until the young female would come back with her two brothers.  
  
"This isn't like me to prepare breakfast for someone I barely know ..." Naruto told himself as he stared at the salad bowl.  
  
Naruto didn't feel like eating much anymore so he decided to simply drink a glass of fresh milk while he waited for Gaara to return. He took out a glass and filled it with milk and then made his way to the opposite door at the end of the room to take a seat, when the door opened and revealed 2 shinobis.  
  
"Like I needed this ..." Naruto mentally told himself and sighed.  
  
The first one that entered the kitchen was Sasuke, soon followed by Neji. Within seconds, Naruto was now face to face with his former rival, and immediately both looked at each other with cold eyes, while Neji observed, for now.  
  
"Dobe ..." Sasuke let out, a bit surprised by the cold stares.  
  
Naruto remained silent although his cold eyes could easily be felt by the other two boys. Naruto placed his glass of milk on the table and prepared to walk out of there, by using the same door which the boys came in with, but Sasuke stood before him, blocking his way.  
  
"Out of my way ... Uchiha." Naruto coldly demanded and locked eyes with his former rival.  
  
"Not until you and me talk." Sasuke clearly stated and was ready to back up his words if needed.  
  
"Talk about what? The fact I left Konoha or the fact that I dared to tell you loud enough about this thing going on between you and Itachi? There's so many topics, all you gotta do is pick one." Naruto hissed with anger but kept his cool.  
  
Sasuke was a bit shocked by Naruto's cold behavior, while Neji observed, but only wanted to interfere. Sasuke clenched his fists, as though he was ready to fight Naruto, but what held him back, was the presence of Neji, and his inner self.  
  
----The Empty Room ----  
  
For nearly five minutes, the room remained silent as Kankuro and Temari awaited for their little brother's answer, but his action, surprised them. Gaara simply closed his eyes for a short moment as he walked towards his older brother, while he uncrossed his arms.  
  
"Gaara?" Temari spoke his name with worry as she took a step towards him.  
  
"You both truly deserve to be called my older brother and sister, but this is a decision that Naruto alone can make." Gaara stated.  
  
"What do you want us to do then?" Kankuro asked.  
  
"Nothing." Gaara answered with his neutral tone.  
  
"But ..." Temari objected but stopped once her eyes met those pale and dangerous eyes.  
  
"The last thing we need are the Leaf suspecting something. As for the options, I will speak to Naruto privately, after the Leaf shinobis meet Kazekage. You'll be informed what course of action we will take." Gaara informed them with a menacing tone.  
  
Temari and Kankuro were a bit frightened, as Gaara made his way towards the door and Kankuro. The puppet master lost no time to move out of his little brother's way, as he joined his sister's side. Gaara opened the door, his back turned to his siblings, but on his way out, he stopped.  
  
"Arigatou." Gaara murmured loud enough for his siblings to hear.  
  
Gaara left the room to return to the kitchen, as Temari and Kankuro were shocked for the third time that morning to how their little brother changed a little each time he encountered Naruto.  
  
"Somehow, I hope Naruto picks option number 2 ..." Temari let out as Kankuro placed a hand on her shoulder.  
  
"You are aware that if that happens, it will mean more trouble for all of us right?" Kankuro reminded his sister.  
  
"Hai ... But when's the last time you saw Gaara smile or show any emotion at all?" Temari spoke out as she stared at the opened door.  
  
"Not since father ignored him and Yashamaru's death ..." Kankuro let out.  
  
---- Kitchen ----  
  
After a few minutes of silence, Naruto decided it would be better for all if he simply left the room, after all, he didn't feel like fighting any of them right now, since last night's incident and discovery. And so for the second time, Naruto took a few steps forward, and tried to get pass Sasuke, but failed once more, as the Uchiha simply remained in the kitsune's way.  
  
"I won't ask again." Naruto stated with cold blue eyes.  
  
"Then make me." Sasuke told him and glared back.  
  
"Answer me this Sasuke. That night, you told me to stay out of your business about you wanting to kill Itachi. So stay the hell out of mine, unless you want me to remind you of certain events concerning your older brother." Naruto evilly grinned, which angered his former rival.  
  
The fact Naruto was actually smiling when he spoke out so freely about Itachi hit a nerve in Sasuke and thus, his Sharingan flared up. Sasuke quickly pushed Naruto against the nearest wall, as a loud thump was heard from the impact.  
  
Neji was a bit surprised by Sasuke's sudden reactions, as he noticed how Naruto's head was lowered towards the ground, although the boy was still standing up. Sasuke quickly made his way towards his rival as he grabbed him by the collar and pinned him to the wall, ready to hit the blond shinobi, when he got a glimpse of those blue empty eyes.  
  
"Sasuke don't." Neji spoke loud enough as he prepared to interfere when he noticed they weren't alone in the kitchen anymore.  
  
"This is going to be more troublesome than I thought ..." Shikamaru mumbled, as Shino and Kiba stood behind him at the other end of the room.  
  
"Sasuke what do you think you're doing?" Kakashi's voice came from behind the Hyuga and Uchiha.  
  
At where they stepped in, Gai, Kakashi and Jiraiya had stepped within the room, as they stood only a few meters away from the Sasuke and Naruto. Sasuke remained in his fighting stance, his fist closed, ready to punch if necessary, while Naruto showed no sign of resistance or even tried to defend himself, instead he kept his eyes on his former rival, but those eyes were simply empty as though he no longer cared about anything.  
  
"I want him to answer!" Sasuke replied with an angry voice.  
  
"If you're going to hit me then just do it." Naruto told him, which earned him everyone's attention.  
  
"Naruto ..." Neji let out, surprised by the sudden words that left the blonde's mouth.  
  
"Well?" Naruto let out again to their surprise.  
  
"Naruto why would you ..." Kakashi began to question until Naruto's eyes shifted to his own.  
  
"It wouldn't be any different." Naruto answered with cold eyes.  
  
"What are you talking about?" Kiba asked as his small group came closer.  
  
Jiraiya immediately understood what Naruto was speaking of, as he closed his eyes for a short moment before reopening them to look at his student. Jiraiya stepped forward and closer to Sasuke and Naruto, as the others remained behind him.  
  
"Is that why you left Konoha?" Jiraiya asked, as both Jounins started to understand as well.  
  
"Among many reasons." Naruto replied, as he now and only paid attention to the legendary sennin.  
  
---- Outside Sasuke and Neji's Room ----  
  
Sakura stopped in front of her beloved's door, as she rearranged her hair to be perfect and then knocked on the door.  
  
"This is the perfect moment! He's sure to kiss me since I look so cute and irresistible." Sakura let out as she closed her hands and placed them under her chin.  
  
"HELL YEAH! But I'm sure Sasuke's too shy to make a move and in that case! I'LL KISS HIM!" Inner Sakura shouted with joy.  
  
A few minutes passed as she received no answer. She then decided that maybe she should go inside, after all, her beloved Sasuke could still be asleep. She grabbed the doorknob and was about to open the door when she heard that annoying voice of Naruto that came form downstairs.  
  
"Just get your filthy hands off of me Uchiha!" Naruto demanded.  
  
Sakura stopped her action as she retreated while looking down the stairs.  
  
"Damn you Naruto! Talking like that to Sasuke-kun!" Sakura let out as her fist clenched and shook a little.  
  
Now knowing that her all time crush was downstairs, she quickly ran down the stairs to scold Naruto for the way he treated HER Sasuke.  
  
---- Kitchen ----  
  
Jiraiya tried to have a calm conversation with Naruto, but at some point Kakashi and Sasuke started to get into it, which complicated things more than anything else.  
  
"I'm not moving until you tell us the whole story." Sasuke stated as he lowered his fist and grabbed Naruto's collar more.  
  
"Just get your filthy hands off of me Uchiha!" Naruto demanded as he finally fought back.  
  
Naruto fought back as he pushed Sasuke off of him and regained his normal posture, while Sasuke wanted nothing more then to fight back. Unfortunately for him, Kakashi grabbed the boy by the shoulders and held him in place, while Jiraiya tried to talk some sense into his only student.  
  
"Sasuke, don't interfere anymore." Kakashi warned his student, as the Uchiha was a bit angered by his sensei's words.  
  
"Naruto, you should calm down..." Jiraiya tried to reason with the boy, but failed to.  
  
"You bastard! I'd give anything to trade places!" Naruto shouted, while Sasuke wanted nothing more then to retaliate.  
  
"You idiot! My whole clan was whipped out by Itachi and that bastard left me alive because I wasn't even worth killing! Who would possibly want that kind of a life!?" Sasuke shouted as Kakashi did his best to hold his student from fighting with his other one.  
  
"Me." Naruto replied and was serious about it, which took Sasuke by surprise.  
  
"Nani...?" Sasuke let out, still shocked by the honesty in Naruto's response.  
  
"You think my life is better than yours? Guess again. Being ignored by everyone, knowing that all they wish for is your death because of what you are. The cold glares, all those together are just as good as being beaten and punched. As for my parents, I never got to know them and NO ONE ever wanted to tell me who they were or what they did. At least you knew them and had your happy moments with yours before Itachi took them away." Naruto informed them as they all remained silent, from Naruto's speech.  
  
Naruto's heart was beating fast as he let his emotions take the better part of him, while the rest of the genins simply looked at him, partly sad of what they learned, while the Jounins and the sennin had their own personal thoughts.  
  
"His fighting spirit is broken ..." Gai thought as he remembered how Lee felt when he learned he couldn't be a shinobi anymore. That was before Tsunade managed to heal the boy through surgery, giving him a second chance.  
  
"I never knew this affected him so much ..." Kakashi thought as he was angry with himself for not noticing earlier.  
  
"Perhaps keeping everything secret to him wasn't as good as we thought ..." Jiraiya thought, as he noticed how Naruto now leaned against the wall, his head low, to avoid any eye contact. Right now, Naruto was vulnerable once more, because of them.  
  
The room became silent, that was until a certain pink haired girl barged inside the kitchen and charged towards Naruto.  
  
"Naruto. You better not be mistreating Sasuke-kun again." Sakura shouted as she stood only a meter away from the boy.  
  
"If she gets into this it's going to go beyond troublesome ..." Shikamaru thought as he slapped his forehead from the stupidity of the pink haired girl.  
  
"You'll never change ..." Naruto let out as he slowly raised his head, his eyes filled with anger and resentment towards the girl.  
  
With only those words spoken, the intense hatred could be felt within the air, as Kiba gulped, while Akamaru hid in his master's jacket. Shino remained silent, just like Neji, but both paid close attention and would interfere if needed, while Gai could only imagine how his long time rival could feel like right now, after all three were his students.  
  
"Sasuke was right about one thing, you are annoying." Naruto coldly stated.  
  
Sakura took a step back as her own eyes locked with those cold blue eyes, surprised by what her 'idiotic' teammate just told her.  
  
"Naruto!" Kakashi interfered before things would get ugly.  
  
"And you ..." Naruto turned his eyes towards his former sensei. "You, you ignored me and treated me just the same way they all did. Guess watching over the sole survivor of the Uchiha clan was far more important than even giving me a minute of your precious time." Naruto spat out in anger as the Jounin felt the anger all too well, after all, Naruto wasn't half wrong about the words he spoke.  
  
"Naruto. That's enough." Jiraiya told his student.  
  
"Doesn't matter anyway. Even if you bring me back to that damn Village, the only way you'll keep me in it is either by killing me, which shouldn't be too hard considering those stupid people's hate for me, or by finding some way to to keep me in check, which I doubt would be too possible to do since IT wouldn't appreciate it either." Naruto firmly stated as they all noticed how Naruto insisted on the IT word, and none of the genins had any idea what he referred to, except the three adults.  
  
Jiraiya was about to grab Naruto by the arm, when this one simply stepped back to avoid the hand, and then, a small smile was formed on his lips, as well as his eyes focused elsewhere.  
  
"I'd advise you to stay away from him." A neutral voice spoke behind Shikamaru, Kiba and Shino.  
  
All heads turned to see who was the speaker as they found Gaara there, arms crossed, and he looked unpleased to see how they had cornered the one thing he appreciated most in life right now.  
  
"He'll have to answer our questions sooner or later. Jiraiya spoke out as he noticed three hidden figures, who appeared behind Gaara.  
  
"Until you leave MY Village, Uzumaki Naruto is under my surveillance and care. Once you've left, you can do as you please." Gaara reminded them.  
  
"Who the hell are they?" Kiba asked an obvious question.  
  
"Kazekage-sama is ready to meet with Konoha's shinobis. We are here to escort you to him." The leader spoke out for the three adults to understand him.  
  
"We appreciate this, but we still have a few things to discuss with the missing-nin ..." Kakashi began to explain, but his attempt was quickly discarded by the Anbu leader.  
  
"Kazekage-sama is not a man who likes to wait." The leader informed the Jounin and seemed very serious about it.  
  
"As for your missing-nin, it's unlikely that he'll escape with Gaara as his caretaker." The other Anbu explained.  
  
"So if you would please follow us." The third member spoke.  
  
Jiraiya and Kakashi exchanged looks, as Gai placed a comforting hand on his rival's shoulder.  
  
"This is for Konoha's best interests. Gaara of the Sand isn't likely to lie, so we shouldn't worry, besides, Naruto needs his space right now." Gai whispered to his rival.  
  
"Hai ..." Kakashi let out and sighed.  
  
"We're just going to leave like this!?" Sakura shouted from the way her sensei reacted.  
  
"Sakura was it?" Jiraiya asked and she nodded. "I think you've done enough damage for today ..." He informed her.  
  
"But!" Sakura wanted to object, but much to her surprise, she felt a hand on her shoulder, that hand belonged to Uchiha Sasuke.  
  
"Drop it." Sasuke demanded from her.  
  
Sakura closed her mouth, as she decided it would be best if she obeyed, while Gai took the first steps those all three Anbu members.  
  
"Let's go." He said.  
  
Before joining the Jounin, each genin took one last look at their friend and teammate, as the only ones that remained behind were Jiraiya, Sasuke and Kakashi.  
  
"You should go. Wouldn't want Konoha to be at war again would we?" Naruto spat out a bit angered.  
  
"We'll be back soon. And when I come back, you and me are having a serious talk, alone." Jiraiya informed his only student before he walked towards the Anbu and the rest of their team.  
  
Kakashi spared one last look before he motioned Sasuke to join the others as well as himself. Every Leaf shinobi had now joined the three Anbus, as Gaara stepped aside to join his kitsune, on the other end of the room.  
  
"Take your time to come back." Gaara spoke, as the leader simply nodded, before the group were encircled by wind and sand.  
  
Within seconds, they all disappeared from the kitchen, and left Gaara and Naruto alone. The moment they left, Naruto's true emotions surfaced as he leaned against the wall and let his body slowly slide down the wall until he reached the floor.  
  
"I shouldn't have left you." Gaara said as he looked down to the boy.  
  
"Iie ... It actually felt good you know? I think some of them got the message. And it's been a long time since I could fully let my true feelings out ..." Naruto said as he looked up and gave a soft smile to the sand-nin.  
  
"Gaara! Naruto!" A female voice could he heard through the house.  
  
"We're in here." Naruto spoke out loud enough for the girl to hear, well aware that Gaara wouldn't speak up.  
  
Temari entered the room as she noticed a sitting Naruto and a Gaara that stood near him, she immediately rushed to them and looked down on Naruto.  
  
"Are you alright? I heard shouting and all and..." Temari started, as she thought maybe someone tried something as she looked at both Gaara and Naruto.  
  
"You were worried?" Naruto dumbly asked.  
  
"Of course. With the Leaf staying here, and Gaara's instinct to protect you, add yelling to it all, I thought someone got hurt." Temari explained.  
  
"Arigatou ..." Naruto spoke as Temari was surprised by his word.  
  
"What for?" Temari asked, not fully understanding the situation.  
  
"You're the first person that ever showed any worry of what could happen to me ..." Naruto let out with a smile as he lifted himself off the floor and now stood on his feet.  
  
"What about your teammates or the people in your Village?" Temari asked, now curious to why Naruto sounded so depressed, when the first time she met him, he was loud and annoying.  
  
"My teammates and sensei couldn't give a damn if I disappeared or not, as for the Villagers, they all hate me. The only person that showed me any kind of worry and yet respect, was my Academic's teacher, Umino Iruka. Even so, his job as a teacher takes a lot of his time, and one person alone isn't enough to make you stay in a Village that only wants to kill you." Naruto explained with a sad voice, as Temari noticed how the boy's story, resembled a lot, the one of her own little brother.  
  
"I'm sure Gaara understands you more than anyone ..." Temari slipped in.  
  
"We're more alike than people would think." Naruto let out and grinned, as he looked over to the sand-nin.  
  
"That reminds me, where are the Leaf?" Temari asked, since the reason she rushed there were because of the yelling.  
  
"The Anbu took them to Kazekage." Gaara replied.  
  
"Father must be in a hurry to have them come to his office this early in the morning ..." Temari spoke out as she noticed Naruto giving her a puzzled look.  
  
"Kazekage? Wasn't that the guy the snake bastard replaced at the Chuunin Exams? And where the heck was he? After all he's a 'kage' and should have been present instead of hiding..." Naruto asked as many questions pooped into his head.  
  
Temari looked over to Gaara, unsure if she should actually answer, until the sand-nin took a step forward.  
  
"Actually, Kazekage was to be at the Chuunin Exams in Leaf Village." Gaara began, as Temari knew it was ok to reveal everything, after all, her little brother wasn't the kind to trust, much less say something important, if it wasn't necessary.  
  
"Then why was it the snake bastard instead of him?" Naruto asked, even more confused.  
  
"Because Orochimaru killed him before he made it to the Leaf." Gaara answered.  
  
"Wha ...?" Naruto wanted to ask, but Temari was already one step ahead.  
  
"The Sand has wanted for some time to take Konoha down, because of an old grudge. And so Kazekage was approached by Sound Village, which Orochimaru was in charge of. That man made a deal with us, so we could defeat Konoha once and for all." Temari began as she saw the confused eyes of the blond.  
  
"Then if Orochimaru killed your Kazekage before he could reach Konoha, then who are the Leaf meeting right now?" Naruto asked.  
  
"Kazekage, our father." Gaara replied a bit angered by the fact he used the word father in his own sentence.  
  
"Didn't he get killed?" Naruto asked, more confused than ever.  
  
"When you live within our Village, you learn quite fast that you can't trust many people that easily. Our father suspected that Orochimaru and the Sound might betray us, but we didn't know when or how. And so, our father decided to send a replacement, dressed as him, as the Kazekage in case Orochimaru would try to eliminate him." Temari clearly explained.  
  
"So that snake bastard doesn't know that he actually killed a replacement, and not the real one ..." Naruto rephrased in much simpler words.  
  
"Hai." Gaara confirmed.  
  
"So why make the alliance in the first place if he had doubts of being betrayed?" Naruto asked.  
  
"As I said earlier, Kazekage and others held a great grudge against the Leaf and would do anything to repay them the favor, siding with Orochimaru was risky, but they couldn't pass up the opportunity, although us genins already thought it was crazy." Temari again explained.  
  
"So now Kazekage wants peace between Konoha and Sand?" Naruto asked.  
  
"Hai. Our father has a new goal that takes priority from destroying the Leaf." Temari spoke out.  
  
"What?" Naruto asked.  
  
"With the Leaf as our ally once again, we can obtain the information we need to know more about Orochimaru, so we can hunt him down for thinking so lowly of the Sand." Temari replied.  
  
"At least the Leaf won't be the only ones hunting that bastard down anymore." Naruto commented.  
  
"Temari! We have to go! Baki's waiting for us!" Kankuro shouted from the other end of the house.  
  
"Hai!" Temari shouted back.  
  
"Training?" Naruto asked out of pure curiosity.  
  
"Hai, we have a few new techniques to work on, so ..." Temari started when Gaara gave her a certain look. "Well I'll be going." She said as she began to walk out of the room.  
  
"Wait! You forgot your breakfast." Naruto told her as he reached for the salad bowl on the kitchen counter and handed it to her.  
  
"It looks delicious. Arigatou." Temari smiled as she left the room to leave Gaara and Naruto to talk.  
  
"She's nice." Naruto commented as he had his back turned to the sand-nin.  
  
"When she isn't afraid of me." Gaara added, much to Naruto's sadness.  
  
"I know that feeling all too well ..." Naruto commented at his turn, as he turned around to face the sand-nin. "How about we go train? I could use the exercises and new experience." The boy suggested with a small smile as he walked towards the nearest door to him.  
  
Quickly, as he passed by Gaara to exit the kitchen, the sand-nin quickly grabbed Naruto's wrist and held him in place. Naruto looked down to his wrist, wondering why Gaara held him, and so, he locked eyes with the red haired boy and saw the serious expression this one had, which worried Naruto ...  
  
"Gaara ... What is ..." Naruto wanted to ask, but Gaara quickly replied faster than he could ask his question.  
  
"We need to talk." Gaara informed him, as Naruto's eyes showed he was now worried.  
  
TBC ...  
  
============================================================================ ======================  
  
A very long and a very angst chapter as promised. I know that I update not so often lately, but my part time jobs have been calling me to come in lately so I don't have as much free time, so please forgive me.  
  
With that aside I do hope you enjoyed this chapter and I'll very happy to know I got around 35 reviews for this chapter! I almost cried of joy. So continue the reviews people!  
  
Chapter Length : 8, 200 words!  
  
Oh and about Option number 2, the option will be revealed in 2 or 3 chapters. If I were to reveal it now, it would spoil all the fun ne? So I'll let your imagination run wild!  
  
-----  
  
A special thanks to HEBI for all the comments he left about every chapter I wrote so far, highly appreciated it!  
  
-----  
  
REVIEWS  
  
Chibi chidori13 : I'm glad to know you're enjoying my fic and thanks for reviewing!  
  
Muchacha : You kinda guessed what this chapter was about. Indeed they all let out their thoughts as well as they have some time to talk things out but the angst keeps coming up!  
  
LilBlackNiteCat : Well you'll see in further chapters how things will develop as well as Kankuro's plan will be partly revealed but not in whole.  
  
RedMirage07 : I'm glad to know some people like it that I don't rush into their relationship. Thanks for your support!  
  
Uzumaki Inari : Glad to have a new reviewer that loves my story! As for the lemons and limes, give me a bit more time, because I start with the fluff stuff first and then comes the perverted stuff ... But you'll be advised when there's a lemon to come and so on!  
  
Renn : I agree, I adore Kankuro and I have a bit of trouble with his character since I don't want him to be OCC just like his sister Temari. Hopefully you'll be glad to know that I do plan on having Kankuro appear more in this fic along with his sister than the actual anime.  
  
Peter Kim : You're the best at telling how things might turn out! But I'll give you a small hint. Naruto will leave the Sand Village, but under what circumstances and so on, that's yet to be revealed! But thanks to all your hypothesis, it gave me a new idea for something so thanks!  
  
Anatra DeSylvianno : Glad you enjoy the fic! I always felt that reading other Gaara x Naruto fic some stuff was always missing or things were too rushed you know? So I'm very proud of this fic and even happier to know people love it! So I'll let you in on a little secret, this fic will be long, I have so many good ideas that I'm hoping it will be longer than 30 chapters, wouldn't that be nice? I'll see how people enjoy it!  
  
Ookami Kage : I'm glad you take time to review my fics at least! I'm still waiting on some of your updates, but hope you let me know when you do ne?  
  
Sil : Well people wanted some stuff to happen and so the official fluff started although between Gaara and Naruto it isn't as clear yet rather they are or not in a true relationship since Naruto's too emotional with having his former suppose friend and teachers.  
  
Anael Razualle : Kakashi and the others are persistent and are getting more and more on Naruto's bad side, so things are heating up, plus Naruto isn't sure on what to do anymore! Things will get better so I hope you enjoy the upcoming chapters!  
  
Licht Sieger : Well you know why Kazekage is alive ne? In my mind it's a logic explanation since normally those elected as 'Kages' are among the strongest shinobis so he couldn't have fallen in such a trap and so on so I hope it was a good explanation.  
  
TheTrueSilver : Glad you like the fluff stuff! I've been overwhelmed by work lately plus I have this project due in for this Wednesday since I failed it the first time so I have no time to write! Sniff sniff. It really sucks because I really try hard to write but my stupid real life prevents me lately! Hope to make it up later!  
  
Shinigami's Minion : I'm glad you enjoy this fic and to have someone new review it. My only wish is to try and not disappoint any of you and I guess that stresses me out and then comes the writer's block you know?  
  
NarutoFreak22 : Glad to know you're a fan of this pairing! Because I am too!  
  
XXFishbonenessXx : I have enough death threats on my life because of my other fic right now, one more can't hurt ne? I'm kinda honored to know that my fic is really appreciated and some class it as the best so far. So I hope you enjoyed this chapter and sorry for the late update!  
  
Nejidragon : Well it wans't that much of an evil cliffhanger ... I've done way worse lol. So I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well.  
  
Kuroi Hikari : Well as I said, although the two have kissed, a true relationship isn't something they know too well or know if they're in one. So that's another twist here and there about how it will develop into a close and personal relationship between the two but that's most up to Naruto.  
  
Red Rose : I'm glad you enjoyed it because lately my inspiration for writing died down since I'm always working and all. My inspiration now comes after staring at my computer screen for like a day or two before I actually get an idea how to write things out lol.  
  
Rei Tamashii : I'll have more fluff coming in every chapter ( at least I hope to be able to ... ) but things will get serious and so on, so I hope things will get better!  
  
Silver Neo : Hmmm, and interesting pairing indeed... You might have given me an idea for a new fanfic with that specific couple in it, a short one thought but having an Sasuke x Neji fic would be nice since I haven't found many out there either ...  
  
SevieIsCute / Nativelittle-fox / Shadow Eclipse / Kitsu3 / fijipoo : Thanks for reviewing! I highly appreciate you reviews!  
  
Jinky-kurapika : I'm happy you enjoyed it! I'm sure that the first few chapters were a bit rough but then things got really interesting and I hope that it continues like that!  
  
Hebi : I appreaciate you reviewing every chapter and your comments on each of them were making me skip my sleep and write this chapter instead! So glad to have you aboard!  
  
-NC- : The Leafs should pay for how they treated poor Naruto ... He never deserved this so now Gaara will eb taking care of him, along with a little help of Temari and Kankuro.  
  
xxphatxbaybeexx : Well I usually try to update weekly but lately having 7 fics to update made me slow down along with the work and school in my life. Plus I have like many shrt stories to write but if I do that I'll neglect some right now and them later on, but I hope to not lose my ideas and write later on!  
  
JadeTiger : You're right, this chapter showed how everyone would react to this new and aggressive Naruto, and how things are getting strange but yet closer between our cute soon to be couple!  
  
Arbil : I so understand you! Being deprived of this site for that long you have much to catch up to ne? I'm hoping to have many more cute parts that involves Gaara and Naruto, but angst is still in the air!  
  
Jennifer Colburn : As I explained to others, I've been called many times to work at both my part time jobs, and so it even takes my week-end. And among that I have a project due for Wednesday but I have totally not worked on it yet due to my lack of time and hope you understand why it took longer than expected to get my chapters out. At least I kinda made up for it since this chapter was longer than any other I've written for this story so far.  
  
Leah Durose : I'm glad to know you find it awesome, I've been told by many that this story was above most GaaraNaru the best and longest since you don't see many write on this couple and trying to hard to keep Gaara in character. So I hope not to disappoint you!  
  
Fire : Glad you enjoy it so far, and you were lucky to read it at the time I updated it only days later. Thanks again and hope to hear from you soon!  
  
------  
  
Next Chapter :  
  
------  
  
Thanks again for reviewing I highly appreciate and keep those reviews up so my brains doesn't decide to go on a new writer's block ne?  
  
Read and Review!  
  
And check my other stories if not already done!  
  
Until next time!  
  
Ookima 


	15. Wanting

A New Path Chapter 15 : Wanting  
  
Synopsis : Gaara reveals the options his siblings came up with, and now, Naruto must make a decision that will forever affect his life. Meanwhile, the Leaf shinobis meet the Kazekage, while in Konoha, Tsunade delivers some bad news to Asuma and Kurenai.  
  
------  
  
Pairings : Main pairing will be Gaara x Naruto.  
  
------  
  
Disclaimer : I don't own Naruto but wish I did. Because if I did, I'd be rich and happier.  
  
------  
  
WARNING : Contains shonen-ai, in other words boy loves boy, don't like then don't read.  
  
------  
  
NOTE : With the new version of editing from ffnet, I can no longer use the stars or many other signs to indicate the change of place, and so I decided to simply place the name of the location in BIG LETTERS and BOLD. So hopefully this will help.  
  
------  
  
JUTSU LIST  
  
None in this chapter.  
  
------  
  
JAPANESE WORDS  
  
- Baka = Idiot -  
  
- Dobe = Dead last -  
  
- Naze = Why -  
  
- Hai = Yes / Yeah -  
  
- Arigatou = Thank You -  
  
- Gomen = Sorry -  
  
============================================================================ ==========  
  
Recap  
  
Temari smiled as she left the room to leave Gaara and Naruto to talk.  
  
"She's nice." Naruto commented as he had his back turned to the sand-nin.  
  
"When she isn't afraid of me." Gaara added, much to Naruto's sadness.  
  
"I know that feeling all too well ..." Naruto commented at his turn, as he turned around to face the sand-nin. "How about we go train? I could use the exercises and new experience." The boy suggested with a small smile as he walked towards the nearest door to him.  
  
Quickly, as he passed by Gaara to exit the kitchen, the sand-nin quickly grabbed Naruto's wrist and held him in place. Naruto looked down to his wrist, wondering why Gaara held him, and so, he locked eyes with the red haired boy and saw the serious expression this one had, which worried Naruto ...  
  
"Gaara ... What is ..." Naruto wanted to ask, but Gaara quickly replied faster than he could ask his question.  
  
"We need to talk." Gaara informed him, as Naruto's eyes showed he was now worried.  
  
END OF RECAP  
  
-------  
  
Chapter 15 :  
  
Naruto took a step back, definitely worried to how serious Gaara sounded like, while the sand-nin simply observed his new found companion, a bit concerned that he might have been too blunt.  
  
"Gaara you're creeping me out ..." Naruto let out.  
  
"It wouldn't be the first time." Gaara reminded the boy.  
  
"That's not what I meant!" Naruto shouted, so that the sand-nin wouldn't think that he was like the Villagers of Hidden Sand.  
  
"It wasn't my intention." Gaara corrected himself, only to please the boy.  
  
"Ok ... But why the sudden seriousness?" Naruto asked as he walked closer to the sand-nin.  
  
"Because, the decision you'll make after our little private talk, will change your life forever." Gaara specified as slightly turned around to open the door.  
  
"Oh ..." Naruto let out and decided it would be best to let Gaara do the talking and for him to simply listen.  
  
============================================================================ ======================  
  
**HIDDEN SAND VILLAGE TOWER**  
  
---- Hallway ----  
  
All Leaf shinobi, for the exception of Naruto, waited patiently and silently, until Kazekage's secretary would come and fetch them. All lost within their own thoughts, some more then others, Kakashi, Jiraiya, Sasuka and Sakura were the ones mostly upset after the harsh words exchanged between Naruto and themselves.  
  
"That idiot! Saying I'm annoying! He's the one annoying! Because of him I can't be with Sasuke right now!" Inner Sakura hissed, while the girl's exterior remained mostly unchanged, for the exception of anger that showed in her eyes.  
  
She then remembered that her precious Uchiha Sasuke stood only inches away from her and decided to take another look at the boy in question. Sasuke leaned against the wall, arms crossed, but his slightly lowered while he stared at the floor.  
  
Sakura continued to observe her long time crush, unaware that Shikamaru and Neji were observing her as well. Although the lazy-nin and the genius usually showed no concern, this was after all, a very delicate and serious situation.  
  
"Che, hasn't she done enough damage already?" Shikamaru thought as he let himself fall backwards, until his back met the wall to support his weight.  
  
"That female ... She's more a burden than help for Naruto ..." Neji thought and glared at the girl, purely disgusted by her behavior in such a situation.  
  
Beside the Hyuga, Shino stood beside him, silent like always, but Neji could feel that the situation form this morning bothered him a little, after all, Naruto wasn't one to lose his temper so easily, at least not like that.  
  
Kiba on the other hand, sat on the ground with Akamaru who sat on his lap. Kiba's head was low, but he was aware that both Jounins and the single Sennin stood in front of him, whispering about this morning's event.  
  
"Kakashi, I'm sure he didn't mean to say that ..." Gai whispered to his eternal rival, hoping to cheer him up.  
  
"Gai ... The problem is ... Everything he said was true ..." Kakashi let out as he closed his single visible eye and sighed.  
  
"Kakashi. Concentrate on our current mission. You can blame yourself once our meeting is done with Kazekage." Jiraiya spoke loud enough for the Jounins to hear.  
  
"Hai." Gai and Kakashi spoke out, they knew that usually they shouldn't let their feelings and emotions get the best of them, but the situation was nothing but ordinary.  
  
"Excuse me, Kazekage-sama will not see you." The young secretary informed them, as she opened the door to the great shinobi's office and stepped aside.  
  
With that said, Jiraiya nodded to show he understood, while Kiba stood uo, Akamaru in his arms and headed towards the office as well. The rest of the genins soon followed, and of course, Sakura was right behind the Uchiha, as the group followed the Sennin and the two Jounins.  
  
---- Kazekage's Office ----  
  
The Leaf shinobi entered the room, and noticed how is dwelled in a complete darkness, for the exception of the light that came from the door they just used, as well as the few lit candles that were placed on the walls of the room.  
  
"I knew those Sand shinobis liked darkness but not to this point ..." Kiba thought as he soon felt a warm body under his own clothes. The moment they entered the office, Akamaru felt the intense and strong chakra which the Kazekage emitted and quickly made his way into his master's jacket.  
  
Jiraiya took point when he finally came to a stop, a meter away from what seemed to be a desk, as well as the dark figure that sat behind it. Kakashi and Gai stood by his side, only inches away from the legendary Sennin, while the genins had absolutely no clue how they should behave. One thing they shared though, they couldn't wait to get out of that office.  
  
The genins separated equally on each side of the office. Neji, Sasuke and Sakura were on the left side of the room, where Kakashi stood, while Shikamaru, Kiba and Shino were on the right side, where Gai stood as well. The group remained silent, until they heard the voice of the Kazekage who addressed them.  
  
"I'm happy to see you were not late ..." Kazekage commented, his elbows rested on the tables, his fingers tangled in each other. Although the room was dark, there was a single candle that only lit a part of the desk, where it showed clearly that the Kazekage was there, but all the Leaf shinobis could see, were his arms, hands and his eyes.  
  
"We wouldn't want to seem disrespectful after how you let us stay until the Sand storm passes." Jiraiya carefully explained. The people knew him to be a trickster from his younger days, but right now, he was dead serious on this conversation, and it was easily felt by all who were present in the room.  
  
"That is good to know, since I've heard of the reputation one of you has." Kazekage spoke with such a low but frightening tone that sent shivers down the genins spines.  
  
Some of the genins gulped, aware that the Kazekage was clearly referring to Kakashi, while the copy ninja simply shrugged off the comment made on his part.  
  
"I wasn't aware my reputation was known in your Village as well!" Kakashi let out and smiled under his mask, which earned him the immediate glare of his eternal rival.  
  
"Kakashi!" Gai screamed within his mind.  
  
"We keep a close eye on well known shinobis like yourself." Kazekage specified as he uncrossed his hands and laid back comfortably in his chair. "With that said, I'd like to know more about this missing-nin and your presence within my Village." The man demanded a clearer answer than the ones given by the leader of the Anbu team who intercepted them last night.  
  
"Two days ago, the genin known as Uzumaki Naruto left Konoha without permission. We were able to track him which led us to your Village. Hokage- sama gave us our passes to allow us access without causing any more 'misunderstandings'." Jiraiya explained the best way he could.  
  
Knock Knock  
  
All heads slightly turned towards the door, while the Kazekage's eyes narrowed. The door slowly opened as the Anbu team walked in. Jiraiya and both Jounins immediately stepped aside, to leave the middle space free for them to take. The Anbu leader took point, while the other two kneeled beside him, heads lowered to show their high respect for their Kazekage.  
  
"You called for us?" The leader spoke as he raised his head and locked eyes with the Kazekage.  
  
"Hai. Since the Leaf shinobis are to stay here for the next few days, I wanted to know what has been done." Kazekage asked.  
  
"They are currently staying at your son's house, along with the missing-nin they found here." The Anbu leader explained, but before he could finish, a kunai passed only inches away from hi face to embed itself in the doorframe.  
  
"What the..?" The Leaf shinobis wondered what just happened, until the Kazekage explained himself.  
  
"This will be your last warning. Never refer to that child, as my son." Kazekage clearly stated with pure hatred in his voice.  
  
"Forgive me." The leader quickly apologized as he lowered his head and closed his eyes.  
  
"Knowing they will stay there for the next few days, who is in charge of their missing-nin?" Kazekage asked as his voice remained cold.  
  
"Your ... Gaara." The leader quickly corrected himself. He knew if he made the mistake once more, next time, the kunai wouldn't miss its target.  
  
"Nani?" Kazekage was not pleased with the answer he received. More than that, he quickly took back his proper sitting position but his hands firmly pressed against the desk.  
  
"He insisted on observing the missing-nin." The leader continued, but feared what the great man's reaction would be.  
  
"That child always did what he wanted ..." He thought as he knew that the Villagers feared his own son due to how unstable he was. "Very well, Gaara of the Sand will continue his guard on the missing-nin until the Leaf return to their proper Village." Kazekage cleared up as he stood up and walked around his desk, to come face to face with his Anbu.  
  
"Understood." The Anbu leader nodded as he retreated, soon followed by his two companions. As quickly as the light entered the room, as fast as it faded away once the Anbus left and closed the door behind them.  
  
Kakashi, Gai and Jiraiya returned to their former position, while the legendary Sennin found himself face to face with the great Kazekage. The man crossed his arms and placed them behind his back, while his face was still covered by the quilt of his robe, as well as the large hat.  
  
"You will remain in Gaara of the Sand's house until the storms passes. Once you're ready to leave, Gaara will stand down and return to you this missing- nin. From that point, if anything happens, we are no longer responsible." Kazekage clearly explained to them. After all the Sand-nins were known to be very direct upon matters that didn't concern them to much.  
  
"We understand, and are very grateful of your hospitality." Jiraiya spoke with sincerity, but deep down, he cursed those sand-nins.  
  
"I'm sure that since you're also here, you'd like to discuss the 'misunderstanding' that occurred during the Chuunin exams a few weeks ago." Kazekage walked back behind his desk and sat down, aware that all eyes were on him.  
  
"Che, if he hadn't betrayed us and allied himself with the Sound, the Third would still be alive ..." Kiba thought, while Akamaru growled.  
  
"Misunderstanding eh? They had a grudge against Konoha for a long time. Surely when there's a new opportunity they'll simply do it again." Neji thought as he glanced over to the Uchiha and the female who stood to his right.  
  
"Misunderstanding my ass! Because of you I almost lost my Sasuke! If we were stronger, we'd kick your sorry sand ass for good!" Inner Sakura shouted, while her exterior, she couldn't help but smile at the thought.  
  
"Because of them ... They showed me I wasn't strong enough ... I was inferior to that dobe ... Even if we become allies again, I'll never leave my guard down again." Sasuke thought as his exterior remained neutral and uncaring.  
  
"We mostly wanted to know the facts that pushed you into allying yourself with Orochimaru and the Sound." Kakashi specified.  
  
"That is a matter that only concerns the Sand, and I will only discuss it with your Hokage." Kazekage clearly stated as he locked eyes with the Sennin.  
  
"We understand. I will personally inform our Hokage of this matter. But for now, I assume until we clear things up, we are once again, allies, for now." Jiraiya informed the man.  
  
"Rest well Konoha shinobis. Orochimaru betrayed and used us as well. Thus there will be no further communication with that shinobi and the Sound." Kazekage reassured them as he could, but knew that they would still suspect the Sand.  
  
"We are pleased to hear that." Gai added.  
  
"With that dealt with, when the Sand storms ceases, I will send you an Anbu team to alert you of it. In the mean time, if you need anything, I'm sure Temari and Kankuro can satisfy your needs." Kazekage stated.  
  
"Arigatou for taking time to see us. We will take our leave. I'm sure you're a busy man." Jiraiya mentioned as he lowered his head in respect and turned around.  
  
Kazekage simply nodded, as Gai and Kakashi showed their respects as well, before following the Sennin as well. The genins weren't sure how to react, and so, Shikamaru faced Kazekage and to everyone's surprise, he bowed as well before retreating the room with the Jounins and the Sennin.  
  
"Do we really have to bow before that two timing bastard?" Inner Sakura thought.  
  
"Hn." Sasuke shrugged it off as he simply did the same although he didn't want to.  
  
Each genin showed their respects and finally exited the room. Out of the darkness, they stepped into the light and warmth of the sun.  
  
---- Hallway ----  
  
Shino was the last to step out of the office, as the secretary closed the door behind them. The Leaf soon gathered all around, while the genins only wanted to get the hell out of there.  
  
"God! I thought Gaara was creepy but he's even creepier!" Kiba let out, as Akamaru finally crawled out of his master's jacket and rested on his head.  
  
"Like father like son." Jiraiya thought.  
  
"Now that we've dealt with this, what now?" Sasuke asked.  
  
"We'll go back to the house and I'll have a talk with the boy." Jiraiya informed them.  
  
"The rest of you will train with me and Gai." Kakashi continued.  
  
"I'd rather talk to him." Sasuke coldly stated.  
  
"Sasuke. After what happened this morning, it's best if you all stay away from him for the rest of the day." Jiraiya ordered them.  
  
"Che ..." Sasuke let out as he shoved his hands into his pockets and walked away.  
  
"We will not talk to him, unless he talks to us." Neji informed the Sennin as he trailed behind Uchiha.  
  
"If those two come across Naruto, it's going to be troublesome ..." Jiraiya sighed as he rubbed his temple form the upcoming headache he knew he would have.  
  
"That's my line." Shikamaru reminded the Sennin.  
  
"Shut up kid." Jiraiya spat out. After all the Sennin used all of his patience this morning and the meeting with that Kazekage.  
  
"We better get going." Kakashi said as he glanced over to the Sennin before he took his leave as well.  
  
============================================================================ ======================  
  
**KONOHA VILLAGE**  
  
---- Tsunade's Office ----  
  
Although it was still early in the morning, Tsunade wasn't able to get much sleep throughout the night. Even though she knew that Jiraiya and Kakashi managed to get Naruto back, she just couldn't shake this bad feeling she was getting.  
  
Tsunade continued to think, unaware that she walked up into her office and stared out the window to see how the Villagers slowly woke up to start their morning chores, unaware of the current situation they were in.  
  
"You asked for us Tsunade-sama?" A female voice came from the other side of the room.  
  
The Sennin turned her head and shook her current thoughts out of her head. For the moment, they were other matters that could be far worse than Naruto illegally missing.  
  
"Kurenai, Asuma. I'm glad you could come earlier." Tsunade greeted them as she walked over to her desk and partly sat on it.  
  
"We didn't get much sleep either ..." Asuma informed her as he popped up a new cigarette and prepared to lit it, until he felt glared at.  
  
"If you dare smoke in here, I'm throwing you out." Tsunade threatened him. Obviously, she was in a bad mood.  
  
Asuma new when he should listen and so he simply discarded it, putting it back into his pocket.  
  
"Did something happen while we were gone?" Kurenai asked.  
  
"Surely you remember the Akatsuki?" Tsunade wanted to be sure that the Jounins knew before she continued.  
  
"Kakashi briefly spoke of them when Uchiha Itachi came back here." Asuma confirmed, while Kurenai was worried to where this led.  
  
"Could it be ... They haven't found out about Naruto have they!?" Kurenai asked, concerned that this would only complicate the situation they were in, even more.  
  
"I doubt it. The only shinobis aware of Naruto's disappearance are those sent to Hidden Sand Village, those present in this room, Shizume and Iruka- sensei." Tsunade cleared that up for them.  
  
"Then why speak of that organization?" Asuma questioned.  
  
"The last report I received, informs me that they began to move again. A team of two were dispatched." Tsunade began on a serious tone.  
  
"Itachi and Kisame I presume?" Asuma let out, worried to where this could lead.  
  
"Most likely, since one of them had Sharingan eyes." Tsunade confirmed.  
  
"Konoha is barely standing out on it's own after we lost the Third Hokage. And we still don't know when Orochimaru will strike again to get Uchiha Sasuke." Asuma let out, worried about their current situation.  
  
"I'm aware of that. But I can't ignore the fact that the Akatsuki are moving once again." Tsunade firmly stated.  
  
"What do you wish for us to do then?" Kurenai asked.  
  
"Sand storms in Hidden Sand Village last no more than 3 days. 1 days has already passed. When we reach the third day, I want both of you, accompanied by an Anbu team to head straight into that Village." Tsunade informed them of a new mission they would take.  
  
"What? But why?" Kurenai asked, confused to why she would send so many shinobis into Sand Village.  
  
"I hope that I'm mistaken by saying this, but the last known location of those two Akatsuki members, were near Hidden Sand territory." Tsunade cleared up things, while the Jounin's eyes widened.  
  
"That's not good ..."Kurenai let out as she placed a hand over her mouth.  
  
"That's why I need both of you to get there as soon as possible, to inform Jiraiya and the others of the possibility of them showing up." Tsunade finished and took a deep breath.  
  
"Consider it done." Asuma reassured the Hokage.  
  
============================================================================ ======================  
  
**HIDDEN SAND VILLAGE**  
  
---- Gaara's House, In His Room ----  
  
Silence filled the bedroom, as Gaara carefully closed and locked the door behind them, while Naruto didn't dare to speak up, unsure of what he might hear. The sand-nin returned his attention back on the kitsune, while this one seemed more insecure than ever.  
  
"Answer me Uzumaki ... You could simply leave at any time you wish and escape from those Leaf's grasp, so why, why do you stay here?" Gaara asked as he closed the gap between himself and the boy.  
  
"I ... I don't know ... I just know that I only have a 2 days left with you ... And something tells me I should cherish that time, before it becomes impossible ..." Naruto truthfully answered with a sad tone.  
  
Gaara raised an eyebrow. He didn't really expected the boy to answer him that way, and so this brought forth more questions within his dark mind.  
  
"Tell me ... Do you love me?" Gaara bluntly asked, only inches away from the object that showed him all these strange and new emotions he felt.  
  
"Wh ...WHAT!?" Naruto shouted, totally not expecting that 4 letter word, coming out of the sand-nin's mouth.  
  
"Answer." Gaara demanded with his strange but deadly eyes.  
  
"I don't know ... All I know is when you're around, the pain just fades away ... And I've never felt like this with anyone else ... Not even Iruka-sensei ..." Naruto replied as he looked at the ground, as though ashamed of how he felt. "Why ... Why did you want to know that?" He shyly asked.  
  
"Because ... I feel the same way ..." Gaara answered.  
  
"Oh ..." Naruto let out since this caught his attention. Perhaps it wasn't so strange that he felt like that around Gaara, now knowing he felt the same way.  
  
Gaara stepped away from the blond boy and walked closer to the small window above the bed he never used for himself. Naruto observed carefully to how the sand-nin reacted after their strange conversation.  
  
"Was this the thing that was suppose to change my life forever?" Naruto asked innocently, as he took once step towards the sand-nin but stopped when this one turned around and faced him.  
  
"Iie. What we've just discussed is due to what I believe you would call 'curiosity'." Gaara informed, while Naruto's eyes showed that he didn't quite grasp what the sand-nin told him.  
  
"So what was it then?" Naruto asked.  
  
"My siblings came up with two options." Gaara started, when he noticed he had Naruto's complete attention.  
  
"Options for what?" He asked.  
  
"If you had a chance to escape, would you take it?" Gaara asked.  
  
"Anything would be better than to go back to that place ..." Naruto replied with haste.  
  
"That is why my siblings came up with two options." Gaara reminded the boy as he continued. "Since I am your guardian during your stay here, I could easily stall the Leaf to give you a certain advance. If you are a good enough shinobi, then you'll be able to outwit them so they do not catch you. With that, you won't be returning to your former Village." Gaara explained carefully.  
  
"But if I did that ... They could kill you ..." Naruto reminded the sand-nin.  
  
"I'd like to see them try." Gaara added.  
  
"But I'd be alone again ..." Naruto whined as he lowered his head, but he could still feel those eyes that stared at him.  
  
"Hai, but you wouldn't be forced back into the Village that hates you." Gaara reminded the boy.  
  
"You really want me to go that badly?" Naruto lifted his head as he locked eyes with Gaara.  
  
The sand-nin remained silent, as he didn't expect the blond to say such an unexpected thing to him. Naruto took a few steps closer towards Gaara, his eyes all watery, tears on the verge of being spilled.  
  
"Don't you want me to stay?" Naruto asked with a saddened tone.  
  
"This isn't about what I want." Gaara reminded the boy as this one finally reached him.  
  
"Since when huh? You've always gotten what you want no matter who stood in your way! Be that selfish bastard that I know!" Naruto screamed his lungs out, while he clenched his fists and squeezed his eyes shut.  
  
Gaara's eyes widened by the kitsune's words, as he noticed how much pain Naruto was in, just because for once, he wasn't being selfish. Because he thought that Naruto would be better off without him and the Leaf. Then again, since when did he even care about what happened to the boy. Care? A word he was unfamiliar with and yet it crossed his mind, as Naruto broke down right before his eyes.  
  
"Even if it's just for 2 days ... I WANT TO STAY WITH YOU!" Naruto yelled out as he fell to his knees and on to the ground.  
  
Something inside Gaara hurt, as the sand-nin paced a hand over his heart. Seeing Naruto hurt, pained Gaara as well. And so, the boy did something unexpected to his normal nature, he kneeled and pulled Naruto onto his lap. It didn't take long for Naruto to wrap his arms around the boy's waist and cry into the boy's arms.  
  
"I want you to stay ..." Gaara whispered into the boy's ear with a calm voice.  
  
Naruto raised his head, tears streaming down his cheeks, but a light of hope could be seen within those deep blue eyes.  
  
"You don't have to lie to me ..." Naruto mumbled through his sniffles.  
  
"I'm not. I want to know if I can truly love and be loved. The only person that can help me, is you." Gaara spoke as he grabbed the blond by the chin and pressed his lips against the blond.  
  
Naruto couldn't help but close his eyes once he felt those soft lips against his own. Although it lasted only a few seconds, he greatly enjoyed it and now knew that Gaara spoke the truth and didn't lie to him. Naruto couldn't help but burry his face into the sand-nin's chest and smile.  
  
"I know you said you wouldn't want to leave, but there's still one option left ..." He whispered within the boy's hear.  
  
Naruto knew that he already couldn't think of separating himself from Gaara for reasons he had no control over, but knew that he couldn't simply leave the Village, he would have to enjoy the few days left to be with him, but it couldn't hurt to find out what the second option was. Could it?  
  
"What was the last option?" Naruto showed interest in the matter as he looked up to see Gaara's eyes.  
  
"Your Kage Bunshin? How good are you with it?" Gaara asked and smirked, while Naruto was a bit confused to why the sand-nin would be interested into his favorite Jutsu.  
  
============================================================================ ======================  
  
**SAND'S TRAINING GROUNDS**  
  
They had been roughly training for a straight hour now, but although they were present in body, their minds were more occupied with Gaara and Naruto.  
  
"Temari, Kankuro. Training's over." Baki, their sensei, informed them.  
  
"Why sensei?" Temari asked, as she closed her big fan, while Kankuro's puppet, Karusa, was on defense.  
  
"Your minds are elsewhere." He bluntly told them.  
  
"Gomen sensei, it's just with having the Leaf and Gaara under the same roof ..." Temari began to explain, but Baki quickly understood what that child meant.  
  
"I understand. Until the Leaf leave, your training will be postponed." Baki informed them.  
  
"Hai ..." Both student replied, as their sensei wasted no time and left in a swirl of sand.  
  
Temari leaned back against a tree, while Kankuro carefully wrapped Karusa back within the normal 'backpack'.  
  
"You're thinking about Gaara and Naruto too." It wasn't really a question but more something that confirmed it.  
  
"Hai." Kankuro replied as he looked over to his sister and noticed how she stared towards the sky, but this one was simply covered with the sand storm that was close to the Village.  
  
"I hope he makes the right choice ..." Temari commented as she lowered her head and looked over to her brother.  
  
"Either way ... The Leaf lose." Kankuro commented before he started to walk away, to get back home, in hopes that it was still in one piece, and the Leaf wouldn't be there.  
  
============================================================================ ======================  
  
**GAARA'S HOUSE**  
  
---- Gaara's Room ----  
  
Gaara finished explaining to the boy about the second option, but this one still remained very similar to the first, with a small twist in it. Either way, Naruto wouldn't go back to Konoha and that's what was important to his eyes.  
  
"It is your choice to make." Gaara finished as he knew Naruto would have to think a while before he could give an answer. After all, this would change his life forever, the question that remained, was if he could actually go through with it.  
  
Naruto's hand gripped more the fabric to Gaara's shirt, as the silence, completely consumed the room. It took a few minutes before Naruto even dared to speak up, after all, the second option was very similar to the first.  
  
"You're right Gaara ... I can't stay ..." Naruto began and took a deep breath.  
  
"You still have 2 days to make your decision ..." Gaara reminded the boy, not wanting to pressure him.  
  
"Iie. It's the only way ..." He began before he cleared his voice so that Gaara could hear him. He then released Gaara and lifted his head to look into those pale green eyes. "I'll leave ... I'll leave Hidden Sand Village ..." Naruto answered, but something abnormal happened.  
  
Naruto's lips, formed an evil smile.  
  
TBC ...  
  
============================================================================ ======================  
  
I know the chapter was shorter than the last one, but I kinda didn't have any other choice but to cut it there. Or else it would have been an even longer chapter and would have taken a lot more time to write.  
  
Just so you people know, something major happens in the next chapter, and that's the second reason why this one was shorter, I didn't want to mix up the themes and all, so I hope you still enjoyed it although there wasn't any fluff stuff in this chapter between our favorite and yet strange couple to be, Gaara and Naruto.  
  
**Chapter Length : 5, 700 words!**  
  
33 Reviews! I'm very happy I have more people reviewing. This helps me a lot you know! So I began writing this chapter first before any other story. Plus I've been working on two new short stories that two reviewers asked me to write about, so hopefully those till be out soon as well.  
  
Option number 2, the option will COMPLETELY be revealed in chapter 17, since I gave you hints on what it was, but I doubt you'll be expecting what I have in mind. But you can try and think of it and mention it in a review if you want.  
  
-----  
  
**REVIEWS  
**  
Licht Sieger : Unfortunately I doubt that adopting Naruto would be legal since he's branded as a missing-nin, but that was a nice guess. Glad you enjoyed the reason Kazekage was alive. Honestly, I had to think of a logical explanation to why he was in the first place since I had totally forgotten that he was dead in the manga ...  
  
Foamy and Foolproof : Argh! So sorry for the mistake! I read that chapter like 5 times hoping I didn't make any mistakes due to it's extraordinary length you know! I'll try to correct it when I actually have time!  
  
Renn : Well I leave you in more suspense, I gave hints onto what Option 2 was, and it will be completely revealed in Chapter 17! At least now I know where I'm going to that point, the aftermath, have no clue yet lol.  
  
Kuroi Hikari : It's ok you don't always have to write long reviews, I still appreciate the fact you took time to write that small sentence. I hope not to disappoint you!  
  
Silver Neo : My god! Long review you left me! I always think about you when I write this story, because of your funny little story! And no, Naruto isn'T marrying anyone! Still a nice try to guess though, I gave more hints so try and guess again! I so laughed at Sasuke's small comment about hurting your feelings. Keep it up!  
  
Arbil : Nope, Option two is not another war. A war, I haven't planned a war until maybe chapter 35 or something. Man can't believe I just gave some info away, then again I can't believe this story might be over 35 chapters too ...  
  
Rubymoon17 : My errors! Damn I thought I got most of them, although I was tired form writing so many different chapters and stuff. Sorry if they were mistakes, I really do try hard not to make any!  
  
Jinky-kuropika / TheTrueSilver / silverbluenchantress / Sin / Death Phoenix / MC-88 / kitsune / Ria Sakazaki / RPG obsessed Book Worm : Glad you reviewed and liked it! Hope to hear from all of you soon!  
  
Peter Kim : You're close to what I have in mind, but you actually finally gave me the greatest idea to how to develop this new story I'm working on! So thanks a bunch! Was like stuck on the first chapter, like what will I write next but you gave me an idea to continue it and post it someday, hopefully soon.  
  
Junkyard Jester : Glad to have a new reviewer that likes the story!  
  
KizuPL : No worries! I so hate it myself when the authors simply discontinue their own fics! That's why I promised myself to never discontinue one fic, unless I'm 6 feet underground! So rest assured!  
  
xXFissshBonesssXx : Thanks, and I totally agree, I'm such a Sakura hater you know? I'd kill her if I could. Continue your fics too, I happen to like one of them very much and thanks for reviewing!  
  
Jen : Well Jen I appreciate the review, but people either want fics detailed or not, and in my case, at the very beginning, I was told to detail things and now I'm sticking to it.  
  
Red Rose : Yep, I tried to describe the kitchen as good as I could, but when a kitchen has two door at each end of the room, well I kinda suppose it's big. Hope it wasn't confusing.  
  
Sora : Glad you enjoy this fic! And thanks for reviewing, you'll soon find out how things turn out!  
  
Sachiroyurei : Of course Gaara will comfort Naruto! I know I make Sasuke being so mean and all, but deep down Sasuke can snap anything when the name Itachi pops up. Hope your own personal situation goes better!  
  
Neko : I appreciate that you like the fact I take my time to detail as I can, since another reviewer didn't like the fact that I actually detailed too much.  
  
Nikkler : Glad you enjoyed this chapter! Hope your story is doing well! For the option, oh you're going to hate me at first when the next chapter comes out that's for sure, because there's a lot of angst going on and all, but keep reading to find the twist.  
  
Fluffy-kins : Well I helped Nikkler with chapter 5 of her story. I was glad to know that I wrote good fight scenes so I helped her out with that chapter! Glad you got to know this story and hope to hear from you soon!  
  
Chibi chidori 16 : Well now you know what Gaara wanted to talk about!  
  
Kage Jounin : I'm so happy to know and to be told by many that this fic is among the greatest Gaara x Naruto right now. If I update sometimes late, pelase understand that I'm only 19 years old, my main language is French, I have two part time jobs, and part time school, which are evening classes. So through all that, I have to deprive myself of sleep sometimes to even finish my school work in time.  
  
Shadow Eclipse : Well, Kankuro's slightly involved in chapter 2, but unfortunately I won't show off his puppet yet!  
  
Ash : Oh you're getting ahead of yourself! They'll fight alright, just a bit later. Something does happen between them before the major twist happens so stay tuned and review! As for Sakura, I hate her too!  
  
Jenniyah : Well the plan it completely revealed most likely in chapter 17, but I did leave hints for you people to think about.  
  
Ryouseiteki : Well I did warn about some OCC from time to time ... But I'm glad you enjoy this fic and placed most of them as your favorites. So I hope you enjoy this!  
  
Kutsu : I'm glad to know you love them! As for the fanart mentioned in your other review ( Return To Me ) I don't mind at all! Just make sure to let me see the final result! Would be nice. Cuz I'm only good at writing not drawing ...  
  
------  
  
Next Chapter :  
  
Sparks fly between Naruto and the Leaf shinobis, while the sand-nin and the kitsune take their plan into action. Plus, an unexpected twist, that you might have either expected or not.  
  
------  
  
Thanks again for reviewing I highly appreciate and keep those reviews up so my brains doesn't decide to go on a new writer's block ne?  
  
Read and Review!  
  
And check my other stories if not already done!  
  
Until next time!  
  
Ookima 


	16. Gone

**I'M BACK!!! OOKIMA IS BACK FOR WRITTEN ALTHOUGH SHE STILL HAS HER REALLY BUSY SCHEDULE!!!**

Check it out! I changed a few things, mostly how the story is edited, as well as the presentation of my author notes. Hopefully this makes it better!

:..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..:..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::.

**IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE**

I finished this chapter like 2 weeks ago, but I was waiting for it to be beta-read, but unfortunately, due to her really busy life, she told me to post it as it is for the moment, and when she has more time it will be revised much to you dear reviewers satisfaction.

Note that A New Path is slowly being revised to make it into a beautiful masterpiece, thanks to my beloved Beta-Reader Okibi! So you might want to re-read the whole story or chapters that have been revised so far!

You can check my profile to see which have been revised so far and those to come.

A big thanks to Okibi! And I hope your arm heals soon! (She broke her arm a few days ago ... But she still managed to correct all my stupid mistakes and all. She's really great!)

Last note, I'm very sorry for the lack of updates, but money doesn't grow in trees, and I have a large college debt to pay off, meaning I need to work. But I'll update whenever I can so please forgive me and continue to support me please!!!

:..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..:..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::.

A New Path

Chapter 16 : Gone

**Synopsis **: Sparks fly between Naruto and the Leaf shinobis, while the sand-nin and the kitsune take their plan into action.

:..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..:..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::.

**Pairings **: Gaara x Naruto.

:..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..:..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::.

**Disclaimer **: I don't own Naruto but wish I did. Because if I did, I'd be rich and happier.

:..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..:..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::.

**WARNING **: Contains shonen-ai, in other words boy loves boy, don't like then don't read.

:..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..:..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::.

**JUTSU LIST**

- Sabaku SouSou - ( Desert Graveyard ) Sand enwrapping the enemy is pushed inward, through the use of Chakra(controlling the air and sand). The inward movement crushes anything trapped inside.

Kage Bunshin no Jutsu **-** Shadow Clone Skill _:_ A forbidden jutsu, that creates clones - which are not just plain illusions (like the normal bunshin no jutsu). Each clone is an exact replica of Naruto, capable of attacking. A direct hit causes the clone to disappear.

:..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..:..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::.

**JAPANESE WORDS**

None that you already know!

- Iie = No -

- Hai = Yes -

:..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..:..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::.

"Speech" When characters are speaking

_'Thoughts' When characters are thinking_

**Change of PLACES will be in bold letters**

----Example---- This means a change of area within the same place, location.

:..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..:..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::.

**Previously**

Naruto faced the Leaf shinobis, but harsh words were exchanged between himself and former teammates, Hatake Kakashi, Haruno Sakura and most of all, Uchiha Sasuke. After a rough first encounter, the Leaf shinobis met up with Kazekage, while Temari and Kankuro left with their sensei for some training. Meanwhile, Gaara gave Naruto two choices, and the blond boy made his choice. Naruto decided to leave the Sand Village, in order to escape to escape from the Leak shinobis, and his former home, Konoha.

:..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..:..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::.

A New Path Chapter 16 : Gone

:..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..:..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::.

**KONOHA VILLAGE**

---- The Academy's Grounds ----

After the meeting with Asuma and Kurenai, Tsunade decided it would be best for her to simply walk in the empty streets of Konoha. As the time passed, she worried more and more for Naruto, while she still needed to deal with two strong threats to Konoha.

Lost within those many thoughts, she wasn't even aware to where her feet were bringing her, until she a certain noise caught her attention. A familiar shinobi stepped out of the Academy, dressed in a Chuunin uniform. Tsunade's eyes widened in surprise as she finally recognized the shinobi.

"Iruka ..." She softly spoke his name. She approached the Chuunin carefully before coming to a complete stop.

"Tsunade-sama ..." The shinobi was quite surprised to see the Hokage this early in the morning, especially near the academy. "What brings you here?" He asked with a forced smile.

Tsunade noticed the heavy bags beneath Iruka's eyes. From the looks of it, the Chuunin hadn't slept for a few days and this worried her.

"Iruka. When is the last time you actually slept?" The Hokage asked, noticing the bags under this one's eyes.

"I could ask you the same question." Iruka shot back. The shinobi lifted his head so that his eyes would meet those of the female Sennin. "After all, it isn't like you to stroll around town. Especially this early in the morning." He harshly explained.

Since he barely had any sleep in the past few days, he didn't have any patience at all, especially to deal with the Villagers. Then again, Tsunade wasn't one of those Villagers that hated his former student for harboring the demon fox.

"You're not the only one that cares for the boy." Tsunade reminded him. She was a bit annoyed at how hostile the Chuunin was, but in the back of her mind, she understood his reasons more than anyone.

"Please forgive my rude comment ..." Iruka mumbled as he let his back rest against the cement wall of the Academy. "Since Naruto's ... disappearance, I can't help but worry about him." He confessed with such a sad voice. Iruka lowered his head, as though he had been defeated

Tsunade's eyes softened upon the sight. Besides the Third Hokage, Iruka was the only other positive thing in Naruto's life. The Chuunin took care of the boy as though he was his own little brother, and never once judged him or even thought of him as the demon that killed his parents 13 years ago.

The current Hokage was indeed relieved to see someone actually worried about the blond boy besides herself and a few others, instead of gloating how their Village was finally free of the demon.

"Any news ... about the search?" Iruka asked with a calm voice, but his body showed the opposite. His arms were crossed against his chest and his breathing was rapid. He was nervous of the answer he would receive.

"They found him." Tsunade answered with a smile.

Iruka raised his head, eyes widened in surprise. He never expected to hear anything good, but this time he was relieved to hear such news and now he wanted all the details.

:..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..:..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::.

**SAND VILLAGE**

---- Second Floor, Gaara's Bedroom ----

Only 15 minutes had passed since their conversation, but Naruto was already exhausted from the many emotions he had to deal with. The boy had fallen asleep on the sand-nin's lap and arms, while this one remained in his sitting position.

Gaara made no attempts to even move the boy, well aware that this was a stressing day for him. To his own surprise, his fingers gently ran through those golden locks. His eyes never once left that baby sleeping face, that peacefully rested on his lap.

That was, until he felt this one moving a little.

When Naruto began to wake up, the first thing that came through his mind, was how warm he felt, before he remembered how he and Gaara were talking about the best solution for him.

He slowly pulled away from the warmth and sat up properly on his knees. The first thing he did was wipe his eyes so that his vision would be much clearer.

Blue eyes met light green ones.

"How long was I out..?" He asked a bit worried.

"15 minutes." Gaara replied with his usual tone of voice.

The blond winced a bit, as he preferred it when the sand-nin's used a much more softer tone of voice. Then again, he was talking about Gaara! But it was still worth those small kisses and affection they exchanged from time to time.

"Do you know when we should ..." Even though Naruto wasn't the brightest shinobi in his Village, he just wanted to be sure of how things would go down.

"The sand storm is dying." Gaara spoke, which left a puzzled Naruto in front of him. Here the blond shinobi was talking about their plan, and he simply ignored him, talking about the sand storm!?

"Gaara what the..!?" Naruto wanted nothing more than to argue with the sand-nin for not listening to him, until this one gave him a good reason, that at least made some sense to him. "And how the hell do you know that!?" The blond continued to interrogate this one.

"I've lived here and observed the sand long enough to know when one is calming down." Gaara explained, while Naruto simply stared at him, eyes wide open and confused. "With the sand storm dying, we can execute the plan starting tonight if you still wish it." He clarified.

"Oh ..." Naruto finally understood everything he didn't only seconds ago. Was he really that stupid? Nah, he was just too tired that's all. At least that what he told himself.

"Just do your part and don't screw up. I will handle the rest." Gaara reminded the boy, to snap him out of his own thoughts.

"You're starting to sound like that bastard Sasuke ..." Naruto commented, but quickly regretted saying those words, since he noticed the sand-nin before him, twitch at such a comment.

If there was one thing Gaara hated more than his own father, it was being compared to that Uchiha bastard who was the main source for his kitsune's pain. But then he saw that Naruto regretted his own words, he simply shrugged the comment off, since it proved to be the best thing to do at the moment.

"So what do we do now?" A strong male voice came from the first floor.

Upon hearing the familiar voice, Naruto's body tensed, while Gaara simply stared at the door. They both knew that the Leaf shinobis had returned from their meeting with the Kazekage.

"I really don't feel like seeing those bastards again. Especially Team 7." Naruto specified and stood up. To only think of his former teammates, brought out all the hate and anger he felt towards them.

Forgetting where he was, Naruto was lost within his own hatred for the Leaf shinobis, to even realize that the sand-nin that slowly approached him.

Gaara had noticed how the boy suddenly spaced out, and decided to try and make him come back to reality, in a good way. Then again, he wasn't the best human to act all nice and caring for others too.

So Gaara did the only thing he knew he was good at, or so Naruto told him ...

He grabbed Naruto by the wrists, and pushed his lips against the other boy.

"Nmw ..." Naruto mumbled what he could. The moment he was pushed back, he came back to reality, to only see and feel a pair of lips upon his own.

Pure instinct took over, as he quickly wrapped his arms around the sand-nin's neck and pulled him even closer. But too bad, Gaara had other things in mind at the moment.

The sand-nin pulled away before Naruto could imprison him any further, as he stared into those deep blue eyes. He released his hold on the boy as he broke their kiss, much to Naruto's disappointment.

"Why did you ..?" Naruto wanted to know why he was suddenly and even more why he stopped!

"The Leaf are right under us." He clearly stated. "Besides if it were to go any further, I can't have you being loud with them being present, or else they might start to suspect something ..." Gaara actually smirked. Which half creep out Naruto, since this was a side that Gaara never showed anyone, except maybe him.

"What do you mean 'loud'?" Naruto, oblivious to the hidden meaning behind the sand-nin's words.

Gaara couldn't help but lightly smile at how Naruto was truly innocent in so many ways. Then again, that is what attracts him to the boy. His innocence and the way he understood his own pain at being the container of a powerful demon.

"Gaara?" Naruto gave him a questioned look. He slowly stepped closer to the boy

"We should go." Gaara bluntly said, as he regained his 'normal' facial expression. Naruto eyed him closely, before he kinda understood that he shouldn't ask any questions.

"Do we really have to?" Naruto whined. He really didn't want to see them. But he knew that it was also inevitable if they were going to start with their plan.

"It isn't too late to refuse. After all, I haven't informed my siblings yet of your decision." Gaara knew how Naruto hesitated more than ever of his decision.

The next thing Gaara saw, surprised him. Naruto was smiling at him.

"Iie." He answered. "Because if tonight we succeed, I'll be free from Konoha once and for all." He added. Just the thought of it, made him even happier. The only actual thing and person he would miss, would be ramen and his former sensei, Umino Iruka.

"As you wish." Gaara said, before he walked towards the door.

The moment he opened the door, they could easily hear the voices from the first floor. The sand-nin had no problem with going downstairs. What worried him the most, was if Naruto could play his part without being discovered.

---- First Floor, Living Room ----

In the mean time, one by one, the Leaf shinobis entered the house and went straight for the living room, to further discuss their main mission. Unfortunately, there weren't enough chairs for the number of shinobis present.

The two Jounins and Sennin simply leaned against the nearest wall, while, Sakura, Shikamaru and Kiba sat down in the available chairs. Neji, Sasuke and Shino were so alike, that they simply stayed up on their feet, arms crossed, never showing their true face.

"How much longer do we have to stay?" Kiba growled. Akamaru jumped on his companion's lap, as though trying to calm him down.

"The sandstorm should soon come to its end." Kakashi replied in his boring tone, trying his best to ignore his eternal rival beside him.

The room went into an uncomfortable silence, when they heard footsteps coming down the stairs from the floor above them.

"You could have stayed away longer." Naruto commented, glaring at his former perverted sensei, Kakashi.

Him and Gaara finally reached the living room, and both knew that the rest was all up to Naruto. Now all they needed was an opportunity to take advantage of, to help their plan.

"Now now, you shouldn't treat your comrades like that Naruto-kun." Kakashi spoke his student's name playfully, hoping to get him to smile.

"Comrades? Comrades trust each other. They don't try to kill each other." The blond spat out, glaring at Uchiha Sasuke.

Everyone in the room knew that that comment was personally directed at Sasuke for the incident that took place on the hospital roof. Unfortunately, Sasuke didn't like this comment too much and needed to reply.

He uncrossed his arms and took a few steps closer to Naruto, never losing eye contact with the blond. He came to a stop, when he noticed how Gaara stood right next to the dobe, ready to interfere if needed.

"That was your own fault." Sasuke shot back.

Naruto expected a much better come back, but felt disappointed. For once, he wanted Sasuke to react or else his brain wouldn't think of another way to make all hell break lose and continue with their plan.

It then hit him. He was explained how the younger generation weren't aware of him being the container of the nine tails demon fox. It couldn't hurt after all for them to know. He no longer had anything to lose, and for all he knew, he wouldn't return to Konoha any time soon.

Surely to simply mention the fox would get those damn adults the attention he needed. Besides, even if he did tell them, most likely Kakashi or Jiraiya would stop him from spilling out the whole truth about it. Either way, he would win.

"Everything's always my fault! Why don't you pin more stuff on me! Like how it's my fault Itachi went crazy and killed your entire family and clan! Or how I'm responsible for the curse existing for those that belong to the Branch family in the Hyuga Clan. Hell why not pin down on me all those people I killed!" Naruto shouted at the top of his lungs to his rival.

Everyone was surprised by the sudden hate. They were too use to a hyperactive and a happy but yet stupid Naruto. But then it hit them. Why did he just mentioned people he killed? To their knowledge Naruto couldn't even kill a fly even if he wanted to.

_'Killed? What the hell is that dobe talking about?'_ Sasuke wondered. At the mention of his clan, he was furious, but kept his emotion in check and decided to listen for a change.

_'What is that brat talking about..? Could it be?'_ Jiraiya realized that soon Naruto wouldn't even comprehend that he was about to spit out the big secret about the Kyubi being alive.

Shikamaru took responsibility, stepping closer to Naruto. He really considered him to be a friend, even though he was troublesome most of the time, he still made some things logical without even realizing it.

Shikamaru knew the longer they placed Naruto under pressure, the more they would actually push him away. The newly promoted Chuunin placed a hand on the blond's shoulder, in hopes to calm him down, but never expected what was to come.

Naruto jerked back and slapped his hand in a brutal way.

"Hell the Villagers already blame me for all their loved ones I killed years ago because of the Kwe ..." The boy was about to speak a forbidden name, but a hand covered his mouth, preventing him from doing so.

All were surprised by both Naruto's outburst, as well as the Sennin's sudden action. Jiraiya managed to grab Naruto in time, before this one could reveal any more information about the Kyubi, much to the Jounins relief.

Naruto struggled within the Sennin's arms, while Gaara simply glared at the older man, ready to interfere, if Naruto gave him the order to.

"Calm down brat!" Jiraiya ordered the boy, before this one finally obeyed.

Although Naruto couldn't speak, thanks to the hand that still covered his mouth, but his eyes showed how he felt. Restricted in his movements, he simply glared at the Leaf shinobis so coldly, that some of them, didn't dare to look within his eyes.

The Sennin lowered his head, and whispered something into the boy's ear, which seemed to make him calmer, before he finally released the boy. All eyes now focused on Jiraiya and the blond, many had questions they wanted answered.

"Kakashi. Gai. How about you take care of them, while me and Naruto have a little talk." Jiraiya informed the Jounins before he gave a certain look at his one and only student, before something, more like someone stood between the two.

"Gaara." Naruto spoke out, a bit surprised at how, now of all times, he decided to interfere.

"This concerns me and my student. So step aside." Jiraiya said, but it was more like an order.

"Where ever he goes, I must go as well." The sand-nin remind him, locking eyes with the Sennin.

"Now you listen to me and ..." The Sennin couldn't even finish his sentence before his entire body filled with one emotion. Anger.

The moment he began to speak, it seemed that Gaara didn't even care to listen to him. Something caught the sand-nin's attention, and was far more intriguing than to listen to an old man ranting about his privileges over his only student that's still among the living.

"He can be so creepy ..." Sakura commented in such a low tone, to the boy that sat next to her. Which happened to be Kiba and Akamaru.

"I don't know which one is worse ... Him, or Kazekake ..." Kiba murmured back. Akamaru had his own opinion, but what made Gaara scarier than any shinobi was his intent to kill and his chakra. For the white dog, it was obvious who was most creepier and dangerous ...

"Are you even listening to me!?" Jiraiya began to lose his temper. This boy could just as be irritating as Naruto. The only difference between them was one was loud, or at least use to be, and now he was stuck with the complete opposite, a quiet one that rarely spoke.

Even though he raised his voice, Gaara didn't pay any attention to it at all. Jiraiya swore that he would soon murder the boy if this continued, that was until his eyes locked back with Gaara's.

"I'll be back in half an hour at most." Gaara bluntly stated.

"Wha..." The Sennin was now more confused than ever. How could a genin do that to him? Much less have no respect at all for his elders!

"I must speak with my sensei and my siblings. I leave Naruto within your care until I return." Gaara informed the Sennin, that wanted nothing more than to strangle the genin for his confusing attitude. One minute he refused and now he was handing in Naruto on a silver platter. "Until I return he will stay in your room and under your surveillance alone. Clear?" Gaara wanted to be sure that he didn't leave Naruto in the hands of an idiot.

"Fine brat. Just leave already." It kept every bit of patience he had to control his temper before the sand-nin.

Gaara stepped aside, satisfied that he played a little part, in aiding his kitsune with the next step of their plan, although, for better appearance, only the blond knew when the next step would occur.

The mood in the living room brighten up a little, the moment Gaara stepped aside. The Leaf surely didn't want anything bad to happen, especially when they knew and had previously experienced Gaara's odd behavior, and how this one, was truly unpredictable.

Before Gaara left, his eyes wandered towards Naruto, deep blue eyes filled with anger and determination at the task at hand.

In one swift movement, wind and a small portion of sand swirled around the sand-nin before this one completely vanished before all those present in the room.

"About damn time he left." Kiba hissed, as Akamaru finally came out from under his master's gray jacket.

The Jounins exchanged worried looks between them and the Sennin, aware that Neji and Sasuke would most likely pry into the matter and want the whole story of why suddenly their friend went crazy, blaming himself for many things.

"Train them or something." Jiraiya hissed, still angry with what happened. He then turned his attention back on Naruto. "You're coming with me now." He spoke out, but it was more an order.

At first, Naruto glared at the Sennin before he decided he would rather deal with him, then all the others, including his formal rival. Jiraiya left the room, while Naruto trailed not so far behind, following the Sennin, and preparing himself mentally for what was to come out of this 'serious talk'.

With them gone, the genins now all turned their attention towards the two remaining Jounins. Perhaps they could clarify what the hell just happened!

"Mind explaining what the dobe meant?" Sasuke asked, turning around to face his sensei.

"Gai-sensei?" Neji stepped next to Sasuke, wanting an answer as well.

Gai wasn't sure how he should explain this, or even what he should reveal. Much

to his inner disapproval, he looked over to his eternal rival, in hopes he had an idea how to cover up this incident.

"Naruto-kun hasn't been feeling too well lately." The Jounin began his explanation in a playful tone.

"What did he mean by all those he killed?" Shikamaru asked, making his presence known. "To my knowledge, he never killed any animals nor humans." He added.

"It's true." Kakashi replied, carefully observing the new Chuunin.

He had to be careful around him. Asuma had warned him how Shikamaru's IQ was above most Jounin level. He had to find a way so that all would simply drop the subject, at least for now. Surprisingly enough, he found the answer right in front of him. Uchiha Sasuke.

"He was referring to his past." He began, hoping this would work, although he knew a certain Sharingan user, wouldn't like at all to be used as an example. "He simply blames himself for what happen years ago. And I for one shouldn't tell you his past." He tried hard to hide his game.

"Kakashi-sensei, if he really killed ..." Sakura voiced her opinion again. But that left the opening Kakashi was seeking for.

"Tell us Sasuke-kun? When Itachi killed off the Uchiha clan, did you blame yourself?" Kakashi knew he was playing with fire the moment he mentioned Itachi's name.

Kakashi locked eyes with his student, his hatred for his brother could be felt by the entire room. The young one simply clenched his fists, to the point where his knuckles turned white.

"Sasuke-kun ..." Sakura wanted to comfort her beloved, but with his state of mind, it was better to leave the boy alone.

Everyone stared back at Kakashi and Sasuke, worried of how the young prodigy would react. Last time the name Itachi was mentioned, Sasuke ended up in the hospital for 2 weeks or so.

"Like I care about his past." Sasuke spat out before he walked out of the room, but made sure to give a death glare at his sensei on his way out.

When Sasuke walked out, it didn't take long for a certain pink haired girl to follow him, while Shikamaru eye suspiciously the two Jounins.

"You still haven't answered my question." Neji reminded his own sensei.

"Neji, for now we can't answer. After all our mission is to bring Naruto back. Besides, it's Naruto's decision to tell you or not about it." Kakashi answered for his rival, seeing how this one still didn't have a clue how to answer.

'There hiding something ...' Shikamaru thought. It didn't take a genius to see how they avoided the questions. Only for now, he would let it go, but he was sure to look into it more when the right time came.

Shino made nothing of it. After all the only reason he was even present was thanks to his male and female bugs. As for Kiba and Akamaru, they were only happy that everything was over and now were heading for the kitchen for a bite to eat.

"That was uncalled for." Gai finally spoke his mind, once the room was empty.

"I know. But we can't tell them the truth about Naruto either." Kakashi made sure to remind his rival of the consequences there would be., before he left the room as well.

:..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..:..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::.

**KONOHA VILLAGE**

---- In The Forest, In The Trees ----

As soon as Asuma and Kurenai left Tsunade's office that morning, with their new mission, they didn't even bother to bring a bag of clothing. All they brought along with them, were weapons and scrolls in case they would encounter the two man team sent by the Akatsuki.

"Things couldn't possibly become any worse ..." Asuma let out as he trailed only a meter behind the other Jounin.

"Stop thinking like that baka! It was never confirmed that the Akatsuki knew about Naruto's current situation as well as Konoha's." Kurenai hissed as she leaped to the next branch ahead of her.

"Still ... The way Tsunade-sama spoke ..." Asuma knew something was wrong, as he jumped to the same branch as his companion.

"I know. As the Hokage she has many things to worry about. But the fact that Naruto's implicated ... She tries her best to not show her worries for him." Kurenai added before they continued deeper into the forest.

:..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..:..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::.

**SAND VILLAGE**

---- The Streets ----

Although Kankuro and Temari left the training grounds earlier, that sure didn't stop Gaara of the Sand to find them. The two siblings hadn't even noticed they were being followed by their own little brother, until they noticed how the Villagers quickly ran back into their houses and left the street completely empty.

Both siblings stopped in the middle of the street, as they carefully looked around to only notice how the windows and doors were being shut and locked. It wasn't until they looked in front of them, that they understood why the street was deserted.

"Gaara." Temari softly spoke her little brother's name.

Gaara stood only 5 meters in front of his siblings, his gourd attached to his back, his arms crossed over his chest as he blankly stared at them.

"Where's the brat?" Kankuro asked, seeing that his little brother was alone.

"Playing his part." Gaara informed them, never moving form his position.

"Playing his part?" Kankuro raised an eyebrow, confused by those words. Then again, Gaara didn't make any sense most of the time.

"Does that mean he ..?" She was about to ask, until her little brother answered it before she could even finish.

"Hai. Uzukami Naruto made his decision." Gaara answered.

"Which was it?" Kankuro was impatient today. The fact that when he would come home, he would have to live another night, sharing their house with those Leaf shinobis, made him want to throw up.

"Option 2." Gaara smirked. Just to think of it, made him feel something that was still unfamiliar to him. Whatever it was, it was just as good as what he felt when he killed.

Upon seeing their little brother smirk, they were both surprised and shocked. Never before had Gaara smiled without any reason. The only times he smiled and smirked were when he went berserk or just killed something.

"This means more trouble for us ..." Kankuro mumbled, not pleased with the decision.

"When does everything start?" Temari was more than happy for Gaara. After all, it was all thanks to that blond shinobi that Gaara was more 'human'.

"We wait when Naruto makes his move. Only then will we play our parts." Gaara informed them.

"And when is that suppose to happen?" Kankuro asked.

"You'll see." Gaara answered.

Although Gaara was their little brother, they sometimes wondered how that was even possible, since they had trouble simply understanding the boy and his behavior.

But for the moment, they had other things to worry about. With the plan already in motion, now they simply had to wait to play out their parts correctly, without being suspected by the Leaf shinobis.

:..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..:..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::.

**KONOHA VILLAGE**

---- The Academy's Grounds ----

"Where is he?" The Chuunin lost no time and was quite direct about it. This was

Naruto that Tsunade spoke of. The small boy he considered like a little brother, and finally he would know where this one ran off to.

"Hidden Sand Village." Tsunade replied in a firm tone. She didn't even leave time for Iruka to say anything, as she continued on with the current situation there. "By the time the dispatched team found him, he was within the custody of the Sand." She took a moment to breath, well aware of the next question that would be asked.

"They didn't injure him ..." The Chuunin didn't even have time to finish when the Sennin literally cut him off.

"Iie. The boy is without a scratch." Tsunade reassured him.

"When will he be back?" He dared to ask.

"Hidden Sand Village is currently in the middle of a powerful sand storm. So the team had no other option but to remain a few extra days in the Village. As for

Naruto, by their laws, has a sand-nin with him at all times to ensure that this one doesn't escape." She explained as best as she could, with not much emotions in her voice. She was Hokage after all, she couldn't let her feelings surface, when she knew she worried for the blond as well.

"By who?" Iruka quickly asked. Although he portrayed anger, inside he was worried sick for his former student, but then again, another part of him understood all too well why he acted the way he did.

"Gaara of the Sand." Tsunade answered.

"Isn't he ..." He didn't even want to pronounce the name.

"Hai. Shukaku." Tsunade confirmed the Chuunin's thoughts.

Once Tsunade confirmed it, Iruka couldn't help but remember how Naruto came to him the night the Third Hokage was buried. The boy spent the night over at his place, talking about how him and Gaara were so much alike, due to their demons.

Perhaps there was a reason why Naruto went to the Sand. The boy always felt alone, despite the few visits and free time Iruka gave to him. Iruka was lost within his own little thoughts, wondering if he should be happy that the boy would be coming home, or worried, that Naruto left with a good reason. For Iruka, Konoha was a very nice place, but for Naruto, it was like constantly living in hell.

"Iruka?" Tsunade spoke his name with worry. The Chuunin suddenly spaced out, and she was worried that he wasn't eating properly and lacked of sleep.

"Gomen, I was just thinking about him ..." He admitted. Tsunade raised an eyebrow, curious to what he possibly could think for his facial expression to change so quickly.

"Care to share?" Tsunade asked. She wanted to know, but wouldn't pry unless the Chuunin would tell her himself.

"You've seen how the Villagers treat Naruto, after all the efforts he gave to simply be recognized by them. Is it that bad that he left?" Iruka asked with a sad voice.

"Iruka ..." Tsunade was shocked by his words. As though the Chuunin didn't give a damn at all about the boy, but when she thought about it more, she understood the meaning behind his words.

"I mean, I really love the boy, but I can also understand why he left. A part of me wants him to come back, but the other part ..." He trailed off and lowered his head, ashamed to simply think of it.

"That wants him to be free, so he can find a place where he's accepted as Uzumaki Naruto and not the Kyubi." She finished for him and softly smiled.

"Hai ..." He confirmed. "Is it wrong for me to wish that?" Unsure if he felt the right thing.

"Iie. As much as I want him back here, when I'm not thinking like a Hokage, I only wish for him to be happy." She reassured him.

Tsunade lifted his chin and forced him to look into her eyes, so that he would see she was sincere and cared for the boy.

:..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..:..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::.

**SAND VILLAGE**

---- First Floor, Kitchen -----

Gaara and his two siblings reached the house within 15 minutes, and already they felt that something was wrong. They headed for the kitchen, where they met up with only half the group from Konoha.

"Where are the others?" Gaara asked, seeing how Kakashi, Sasuke and Neji were missing.

"They went training. Sasuke needed to vent off some anger." Kiba added before he gave some food to Akamaru.

'So it seems that Naruto played his part perfectly.' The sand user thought.

"And Naruto?" Temari asked, seeing no sign of the blond nor the white haired man.

Before Kiba could actually answer, they heard a loud scream coming from the floor above them.

"JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!" Naruto's voice could easily be heard all the way down to the kitchen.

All the genins stared at each other, before they decided it may be best to go upstairs and see what was happening.

---- Second Floor, Hallway ----

Naruto stood in the middle of the hall, his back turned to where he originally rushed out of, as well as the legendary Sennin that stood in the doorframe.

By the time both Leaf and Sand shinobis appeared on the scene, a very heated conversation, or more like yelling, took place.

"Naruto! Konoha's your home." Jiraiya reminded the boy.

"Home? Home!? Konoha isn't my home! A home is where you actually care about others, not hate them!" Naruto shot back, trying to control his anger.

"Do you really think we would be here right now if we didn't care!?" Jiraiya had just enough of how the brat always saw everything negatively.

That sentence alone hit a nerve within the blond. All he wanted to do was shout more, but hearing ero-sennin say it to him, made him think back. The few thoughts, or hopes he had pushed in the back of his mind, truly thinking no one cared, never once he thought someone would actually say them out loud to them. Now in front of him, his new sensei spoke them loud enough, for his doubts to resurface.

"If we didn't care, we wouldn't be in this forsaken Village, enduring an hour with that crazy old fool named Kazekage because we don't care! Boy, I admit that those Villagers are stupid for treating you the way they did but among them, you still have friends." Jiraiya let the words sink into that little blond head, hoping it truly affected him.

The house filled itself with silence, while the genins didn't dare to move an inch from their place. This was the first time they saw the legendary Sennin loose his calm so easily and yell at his student in such a way.

_'They ... They wouldn't have come if they didn't care right?'_ Naruto debated the subject within himself, before he noticed the presences of the others.

Kiba, Shikamaru, Sakura stared at Naruto with eyes the boy really didn't like. While Shino and Gai, stayed aside, not wanting to make matters worse, but it was too late.

"Have you thought about that Chuunin? Iruka something?" Jiraiya reached out more, seeing how the boy started to realize things.

"Iruka-sensei ..." Naruto corrected the Sennin. His voice filled with pain and sadness.

"He misses you the most. So how about we go back home. Just like things were. You going back to your old self and ..." Jiraiya thought he won and finally convinced the blond, but the next thing that came out of Naruto's mouth, shocked him.

"My old self? Do you really think I always smile because I'm happy? My old self is nothing but a façade I placed because I couldn't deal with the attitude, the insults and the hate of those damn Villagers! So in truth I don't know who I am! I don't know who Uzumaki Naruto really is or how I should really act!" Naruto shouted, his voice truly pained by simply saying those words, but that alone spoke the truth.

"Naruto ..." Kiba, Sakura and Shikamaru were stunned by his words, never had they imagined that Naruto suffered like this.

"Naruto-kun ..." Gai and Shino spoke out, even they were surprised at how lost the boy seemed.

Before any more words took place, Naruto made an attempt to go hide himself in Gaara's room. He opened the door and prepared to go inside when a hand grabbed his shoulder. By pure instinct, Naruto quickly turned around, ready to shout.

"Just leave me the hell alone!" He shouted, before he came face to face, with no other than Gaara.

"Uzumaki ..." Gaara spoke out the name softly, for only Naruto to hear.

"I just want to be left alone!" Naruto didn't care anymore who was in his face. To him they were all the same.

Before anyone could say or make another move, Naruto slammed the door right in Gaara's face, and made sure to lock it.

The others were still too stunned to even react, while Temari and Kankuro were more worried about their little brother loosing control after what happened. In these kinds of situation, Gaara usually simply broke down anything in his path and made sure that the person suffered greatly for treating him in such a way. But all they saw, was Gaara glaring deadly at the door, before this one crossed his arms, closed his eyes for a short moment, to calm himself.

"Gaara?" Temari took a chance and approached him, worried of what could happen.

"Kankuro. Temari. Take the Leaf downstairs." Gaara ordered before he leaned against the wall of his outer bedroom, where Naruto currently locked himself in.

"What about you?" Kankuro stepped forward, seeing that things weren't as bad as they looked.

"I'm still his keeper. Until he comes out, I'll remain here." Gaara reminded the group.

Temari stepped back, and gave a warning look to the Sennin, while Kankuro took charge of the genins. Although none of them wanted to leave, Jiraiya knew that the damage was done and it was best to leave the boy alone. Especially after the reaction he got out of talking to him.

"Come, we'll go over our mission." Gai was aware that Jiraiya was in no condition to deal with any of it and decided to take charge, until things get better.

Gai led the way, while the sand siblings made sure everyone followed, so no one would stay behind, and make things worse.

:..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..:..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::.

**KONOHA VILLAGE**

---- The Academy's Grounds ----

"But as a Hokage, I have no other choice but to follow the laws and apply them, no matter who it is." Tsunade spoke with sadness.

"I. I Understand." Iruka stammered a bit.

"Anyhow, the boy should be brought in within the next 2 days." Tsunade made sure Iruka knew everything.

"If he doesn't find a way to escape from their grip ..." Iruka commented loud enough for her to hear.

"He's coming home Iruka." Tsunade could see that the Chuunin began to think negatively.

"Many underestimate his true skills ..." Iruka began, his facial expression and the tone of his voice change dramatically.

"Iruka. I know the boy has great potential, but I doubt he could get away from 1 legendary Sennin, 2 Jounins, as well as 1 Chuunin which his IQ is greater than the average shinobi, as well as 2 number 1 rookies at the Academy. I doubt that ..." Tsunade wanted to continue but was rudely interrupted.

Iruka knew Naruto better than anyone. After all, he watched over the boy since he was a small child, while the others only knew him for a few months. Iruka stepped closer to the Hokage and looked directly within her eyes.

"Naruto rarely showed his true potential to anyone." Iruka began with a serious tone of voice. "If he doesn't want to come back home ... He'll find a way to make it happened, he always does. I can only hope he'll find the happiness that he couldn't find here." He smiled before he walked pass the Hokage.

:..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..:..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::.

**SAND VILLAGE**

---- Gaara's House, Outside Gaara's Bedroom ----

A very long hour passed before the bedroom door finally opened. Naruto finally stepped out, and the first thing that caught his eye was the figure that sat on the floor.

"Gaara?" The blond spoke out the name, surprised to see that the sand-nin stayed there and hadn't budged.

Gaara didn't even look up to the blond. He merely gave a nod and stood up on his own two feet, his back turned to the other boy.

"About earlier ... I'm sorry .... It's just that ..." Naruto tried to explain, but in vain.

"Just get down to the kitchen." Gaara coldly ordered him. Obviously he was still angry having the door slammed in his face.

"Hai ..." Naruto whispered, visibly hurt by how the sand-nin treated him.

Gaara took point as he walked down the stairs, while Naruto followed him from behind, head lowered in shame.

But there was one thing that both Gaara and Naruto weren't aware of, and that was the distinct presence of 2 Leaf Shinobis who saw and heard everything.

---- First Floor, Kitchen ----

Kakashi, Sasuke and Neji finally returned from some intensive training to keep their minds clear from the earlier event with Naruto. Since it was time for diner, the meal was prepared and ready to eat, all that missed were two genins to join the table.

"Is he ever coming out?" Kiba whined. He was hungry, and now he had to wait because of a certain blond that didn't know how to control his emotions.

His prayers were answered when Naruto stepped within the kitchen, followed by what seemed to be a very unpleased sand-nin.

"Took you long enough dobe." Sasuke smirked, still hoping to get a reaction out of him, despite their earlier confrontation.

Naruto kept quiet. He didn't even spare a glance at his former rival, or the other Leaf shinobis. He walked closer to the table, ignoring everyone, while Gaara remained near the door, observing the boy, as though something was wrong.

"Naruto about earlier ..." Jiraiya wanted to apologize, since he really didn't know how the boy felt.

But this one remained silent. The rest of the group that weren't present earlier, were informed of how things went, and knew that the boy was near a mental breakdown if this continued.

Before anyone could speak to the blond, this one was suddenly pushed to the nearest wall by sand. All jumped out of their seat, not understanding what was going on, while Kankuro and Temari thought that Gaara finally snapped.

"Gaara!" Kankuro and Temari yelled out their little brother's name.

The sand slowly wrapped itself around Naruto's body, only leaving his head free of movements and sand. Gaara slowly walked towards the boy, while he simply ignored those around him.

The Jounins were mostly occupied, ordering their students not to move and inch, while Jiraiya tried to approach Gaara. The sand-nin held his open hand up, while Naruto made no attempts to struggle at all.

"Release him!" Jiraiya ordered, ready to take action if needed.

Gaara ignored the old man and stepped closer to his victim. Gaara gently ran his fingers across the boy's face, before he took a step back. The little spark of life that could be seen in Gaara's eyes, quickly vanished to be replaced by the pure intention to kill.

"You're not Naruto." Gaara hissed before he raised his hand again, preparing for his deadly jutsu.

"What..?" Jiraiya was frozen. How could this not be Naruto. He was right there in front of them. Unless ...

"Sabaku SouSou" Gaara closed his hand, but he could hear the yelling and shouting beside him, as the boy known as Uzumaki Naruto was crushed by the sand.

"Kya!!!" Sakura screamed, shutting her eyes, not wanting to see the scene.

"Don't!!!" Others shouted.

What seemed to be an eternity, Jiraiya broke the silence, the first who dared to look upon the scene. He expected like the other two Jounins, to see Naruto's blood splattered everywhere and mixed with the sand. Much to his surprise, the sand remained the same color and the only sign that Naruto was there went up in smoke.

"Kage Bunshin ..?" Jiraiya was surprised and then looked at the sand-nin.

"That bastard switched just before he came down with me ..." He spoke angrily, while Temari and Kankuro were shaking like leaves. That tone of voice, wasn't good at all.

Jiraiya glanced behind him, giving sign to Kakashi to check things upstairs. The Jounin vanished in smoke, while the genins were more than confused.

"Gaara, you really shouldn't ..." Temari tried to calm him down.

"How could this happen ..?" Sakura finally had the courage to open her eyes.

"Dobe's favorite jutsu ..." Sasuke commented, when Kakashi reappeared in the room.

"Well?" The Sennin was impatient to learn if his pupil was still within the house.

"He's gone. Naruto's gone." Kakashi spoke with worry. The last thing they needed was for him to disappear in such a place.

TBC ...

:..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..:..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::.

First off, I'm sure people are gonna remind me that Iruka is like a mother hen and would love to have Naruto back home, but to me, he knows the boy a bit better than others, so he would actually understand why he did such a thing. So I'm sorry for his OCCness.

I'm sure you people, or some of you which are kinda picky at chapter length, will most likely remind me that this chapter was short. Well that's how things are! I'm already happy that I even managed to write it since I've been cursed with many things in the last 6 weeks!

Right now I'm working 50 hours per week at both my jobs, plus 15 hours of school as well. Add all those up and I barely have time to eat and sleep! Plus Hell decided to burden me with Writer's block! So I apologize for the late update, and if you're reading this, please read as well the important note below since it concerns my stories and the updates. Thanks!

**Chapter length 7500 words!**

:..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..:..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::.

Option number 2, the option will COMPLETELY be revealed in chapter 17, and mostly clarified in chapter 18 in a flashback for those who like clear explanations of how things went down.

ALSO! The conversation between Jiraiya and Naruto will be revealed in a flashback in the next chapter!

:..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..:..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::.

**REVIEWS**

I usually answer each single review, but alas that takes like half an hour of my time so for this chapter, I'll simply answer the few reviews that basically asked the same questions.

**Jenniyah **: Akatsuki will make it's appearance that's for sure, but for the moment they won't since I already have to deal with many things.

**Peter Kim** : You were close! But no I'm not faking Naruto's death. Saw too many of those in fics. All your ranting about different possibilities sometimes help me to add something new to the story, and make it last even longer than it was suppose to. Keep it up.

**Ryouseiteki **: So sorry for my lack of updates, but that should get better now that I have 3 weeks off at one of my jobs. I can breath now. I'm glad you enjoyed the fluff and angst, cuz this chapter was filled with it. Might have gotten a bit over, but that's because I've been having problems with my lover ... Anyway, hope you look at the note below.

**Litch Sieger** : You were close just like Peter Kim! But not, it's mostly for replacement, to create an opening to escape, but you'll find out all the rest later!

**Hebi** : I totally got you confused didn't I? Well read on and you'll see what happens.

**Burning Tree :** Ok. Here's the thing, out of all the reviews and comment I get, you're the only one that doesn't like current Naruto. But as I explained at the beginning of the story, it won't last forever! It's a simply façade for what I have planned in the next few chapters. So be reassured that Naruto won't stay always angsty!

**Blue ½** : first time I saw your name, and 1 review makes a big difference! Yes, I have some battle scenes for the next chapter, mostly the one people have been waiting for! Sasuke vs Naruto!

**Silver Neo** : I'm always glad to read your review. Hope to hear from you soon!

**Rubymoon 17** : I got a beta-reader! I'm sure you're happy now, so I won't have so many mistakes, plus my beta reader is great at making my story even better! She already worked on chapter 1, and slowly she'll be doing other chapters and stories, once her broken arm heals. So I hope you'll continue to support me!

**Dadaiiro** : Yep, Naruto's primary and best jutsu will be the key in the next chapter if he wants to succeed in his escape. In this chapter I also showed how Jiraiya pointed out that they cared about him, although this chapter was filled with angst all the way. As for Itachi, he'll make an appearance that's for sure, but I'm not telling when ;)

**Victoria May** : I'm glad to hear that because some think that Naruto's OCCness is annoying and want the old Naruto back. But in my opinion, the Naruto we really know is but a façade, but things will get better soon. Thanks for reviewing!

Again so sorry for the lateness and hopefully the next chapter will come out soon! Thanks for the 33 who reviewed, it means a lot to me! Even if it's just to tell me to continue!

:..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..:..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::.

**Next Chapter :**

The Leaf shinobis spread out in a two shinobi teams to retrieve yet again Naruto. Following his trail, will they manage to get the young shinobi back peacefully? Or will they have to use force?

:..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..:..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::.

**IMPORTANT NOTE**

Here's the thing people! Since I don't have that much time on my hands during summer, I decided to cut back on certain stories ... In other words, the three stories you'll most likely see to be updated are the following.

A New Path

Rivals or Lovers

Twist of Fate

For Twist of Fate, the story should soon be completed and so another one will be taking it's place. Either it will be the sequel or an ongoing story that I have TEMPORARILY placed on hold.

The stories that are ON HOLD for now are because they have few reviews, or my lack of imagination for it right now. Understand that these stories are not being abandoned!!! They are simply on hold and will be continued at any time when my brain comes back to life. The will only be less updated the three mentioned above. And so the stories to be on hold will be the following.

Return To Me

A New Beginning

Never Alone

'Till The End of Time

If you want to know the status of each story, please make sure to check my profile. The status of each individual story is there and I update it daily.

SO REMEMBER! I WILL NEVER DISCONTINUE AND ABANDON A FIC!

So please continue to support me in any way you can. Thanks again.

:..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..:..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::.

Read and Review!

And check my other stories if not already done!

Until next time!

Ookima

:..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..:..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::.


	17. Tracking

**Author's Short Notes**

**After many months, I present to you the latest chapter written. I'm sorry for the time it took but my personal and work life hit rock bottom but things have improved since then. I only hope that people are still reading this.**

Ookima 

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

A New Path Chapter 17 : Tracking

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Chapter synopsis : The Kazekage learns that the Leaf missing-nin, has escaped form Gaara's custody, while the Konoha shinobi, finally track down Naruto.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Pairings : Gaara x Naruto.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Disclaimer : I don't own Naruto but wish I did. Because if I did, I'd be rich and happier.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

WARNING : Contains shonen-ai, in other words boy loves boy, don't like then don't read.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"Speech" When characters are speaking

'_Thoughts' When characters are thinking_

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Previously 

The Leaf and Naruto face off in a heated conversation, while Gaara went out and informed his two older siblings, of Naruto's decision. Upon coming back home, Jiraiya and Naruto's private discussion took a turn for the worse, as the boy ran out of the room, and into the sand-nin, slamming the door right in Gaara's face! That action alone, made Gaara return to his 'normal self' and ignored Naruto's presence. When they made it to the kitchen, Naruto remained silent and distant, while Gaara suspected something. Suddenly, the sand-nin attacked Naruto, wrapping sand around the young one's body, trapping him in his famous jutsu, until he finally gave the last order and killed Naruto. Or so everyone was led to believe. The Naruto that was 'killed' was in fact a Kage Bunshin, now the question remains, where is the real Naruto?

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Chapter 17 : Tracking 

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

When Kakashi came back, positive with Naruto's disappearance, Jiraiya lost no time , taking charge of the situation and barking orders to the Leaf shinobi. While the sand-nins, were more preoccupied with their little brother than anything else.

"Report every 5 minutes." Jiraiya ordered them, tossing his backpack on the table. Once the pouch was opened, he let out several headphones all attached to a small black box, used for communications. "You'll all depart in team of 2. The moment you spot Naruto, inform the others for back-up."

"Back-up?" They all repeated.

Those two words alone made all genin raise their eyebrow, wondering why should they call back-up in the first place. Naruto was known to all, to be harmless and acting like an idiot with half a brain.

But then, they were those certain moments, where his behavior radically changed. Instead of fleeing a battle that was almost impossible to win, he always found some sort of inner power and made it a possible fight to win.

The truth was, they might not know Naruto as well as they thought they did …

"You with the dog, pair up with bug boy." Jiraiya didn't mean to call them like that, but he really didn't have time to learn their proper names in this sort of crisis.

Shino paid no attention, being the silent shinobi he was, well he stayed silent while Kiba simply snarled. At least the Sennin hadn't called him dog boy, like a certain blond did.

Within minutes, all pairs were determined by their strength, while the Jounins were the only ones that would set out in a one-man team. There was only one person who would remain in the house, Haruno Sakura.

"Why aren't you letting me search too?" She asked. Everyone else were paired except for her. Question was why?

"You're the last person he probably needs to see, besides the Uchiha. But unlike him, you don't have the strength to stop him, or even to match him in a fight." Jiraiya clearly explained. He truly had no time to try and be nice and brake it softly. "You'll be more useful to us here, coordinating every movement each teams make and when they report."

"What? But-" She want nothing more than to object. That old man just said she was weak. Weaker than that idiot Naruto!

"Sakura." Kakashi's toned was harsh, but it spoke for itself.

She knew it was a warning, and the orders Jiraiya was given out, were non-negotiable.

"What about them?" Gai looked over to the trio of sand-nin.

Every Leaf-nin head turned towards them, but although many pairs of eyes were locked on them, Kankuro and Temari's attention were on their little brother.

"That kid is too unstable. He stays." Jiraiya concluded. Truth was, Gaara gave him the willies.

"And the other two?" Gai cocked his thick black brow.

"I learned one thing here, and it's to let them take care of him." The old man replied, giving one last glance to somewhat reassure himself that ignoring them for now, was actually a good move.

"You're leaving me behind, alone with them?" She whispered, pointing to the three siblings. She was already pissed about behind the only one left behind but stuck with those three psycho.

"The Sand are our allies. Deal with it." Jiraiya was more than tired of her always complaining. A certain blond was much more important at the moment then her constant whining.

The harsh toned he used only showed them all that he was more than serious about tracking Naruto and succeeded. He didn't have time to deal with weak whiny shinobi.

Naruto is his priority.

"Now go." He ordered them.

All lowered their head before disappearing, each taking the partner the old man gave them, while heading in their respective directions.

"Do you really hate Konoha boy?" Jiraiya wondered, before leaving as well.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

The moment they left the house, Kiba and Shino went towards the north, hoping to be among the first ones to have a fresh and solid lead to their missing blond. But they had to be what any shinobi had to, stay sharp, but most of all, silent and unseen.

Akamaru led the way, hoping to get a fresh scent that their blond had passed that way, while Shino and Kiba followed closely behind, carefully jumping from one roof top to another.

Akamaru gave out a low growl, just enough to get his companion's attention. The small ball of fur had stopped his run on a roof tops, sniffing the air, unsure of which direction to continue in.

"What is it Akamaru?" He asked, a bit worried about his companion.

Shino remained silent, paying more attention to their surroundings then what Akamaru was sharing his master. Besides, he knew how to talk the bug language, but dog language was something else.

"Well?" He asked with his usual, low toned voice.

"He caught Naruto's smell and it's pretty fresh according to Akamaru." Kiba informed the other shinobi.

"But?" Somehow, Shino always knew there was a 'but' that followed whenever the boy was out tracking an ally or an enemy.

"But Akamaru also says it goes in three direction. His not sure which one is the right one." The boy answered, knowing that Akamaru felt a bit guilty for not being able to decipher which was the correct way.

"We should alert the others." Shino was always one to never say much unless truly needed.

"Yeah. At least we know which way." Kiba agreed for a change. The boy usually just disagreed with his teammate, Shino.

He finally placed the headset on his ear, pressing the small button that allowed him to communicate with all the other teams, including the solo one back at the house.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Meanwhile, back at the house, Sakura was more than annoyed being left behind with a bunch of killers, but most of all, that psychopath called Gaara. The three of them, just standing in a corner, whispering to each other.

While she was stuck in the kitchen, waiting for the teams to report. Even though Jiraiya told her that she was the main base, she really had no purpose to begin with since whenever they spoke, all teams received the message.

But her attention was more focused on the siblings. Whatever they were talking about, it seemed pretty damn important.

"Gaara you have to calm down." Temari whispered, concerned that Shukaku might be trying to get out. It wouldn't be the first time it tried anyway.

"I'm fine." Gaara replied, returning back to his, usual no emotional state.

"You were faking?" Kankuro let out, surprised by his little brother's skills of acting.

Gaara was known to be so direct, wasting no time to deal with anything that came. And for the first time in their lives, they saw, more like glimpsed into a small tiny moment where their little brother was actually faking his cold exterior.

"Yes." He bluntly answered.

"I really hope Naruto can pull this off." Temari let out, a bit concerned that their plan might fail if that blond didn't play everything according to plan.

"He better, or else he won't be in a good mood anymore." He whispered to his sister, not really wanting Gaara to know that they weren't too positive about Naruto escaping the Village.

For some reason, Gaara was the only one that wasn't stressed or even nervous that his friend, perhaps even lover, was being chased throughout the Village right now.

Lover?

He barely new what love is, but to have a lover, he knew even less in that department.

Rivals?

Lovers?

Friendship?

Admiration for setting him free?

Only time will tell what type of relationship he actually has for the blond.

'_Yo! We found a fresh trail.' Kiba reported to everyone._

Everyone's attention turned to the small machine sitting in the middle of the table.

"If they found him this fast. It only means he's really an idiot for not covering his tracks." Sakura commented, not caring if any of the sand shinobi heard her.

"That idiot didn't cover his tracks!" Kankuro let out, worried about their plan more than ever.

"Even if they track him down, they'll never find the real him." Gaara grinned, well aware that a certain annoying pink girl was watching their every movement.

"What do you mean?" His sister asked, ignoring the constant chattering going on between the Leaf shinobi over their communication devices.

Gaara, being a young man with few words, simply crossed his arms and walked out of the kitchen.

"Gaara!" Temari yelled out his name, angry that he wouldn't answer such a simple question.

'_Every team. Report to Kiba and Shino's location now.' Jiraiya ordered from his end, through their communications devices._

Seeing Gaara leave the room, Sakura felt more relieved than anything else. He was the worst among the three siblings, always wanting to kill someone, or something. Well anything that could spill blood anyway.

'_Sakura! We're unable to contact the Uchiha and Hyuga. Please try on your end and inform them to meet with us.' Jiraiya informed. For some reason, Sasuke and Neji were the only ones not responding and confirming the order to regroup._

_Sakura, finally having something to do, rushed over to the table, placed the heaphone in her ear, responding to the call._

"No problem. I'll try to reach them." She answered with a smile. This was giving her a nice chance to talk to her beloved Sasuke.

"_Keep me informed." He spoke, hoping it was only a bad connection that prevented him from reaching the two boys._

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

For the Kazekage, this day was like any normal day, signing off papers, taking care of any problems his son made during the day. Wounding or even killing a few shinobi that were just under his orders to watch over the boy, so the beast within him didn't get loose in their own Village.

"Kazekage-sama!" A guard yelled out, bursting through the door.

"What?" A bit angered to be disturb when he was busy planning their defense against a new enemy they discovered.

The Sound Village.

"It's about that Leaf missing-nin." He started, aware that whenever the big boss was in a bad mood, he had a tendency to throw things. Those things were sometimes sharp, and very deadly depending on his aim.

"I'm already aware that Gaara is his caretaker until the Leaf leave." Kazekage reminded the shinobi, thinking that this one might not have been informed that he already knew this.

"I know, but, it seems that he's loose in our Village, without Gaara." The shinobi corrected, hoping to not be punished. After all, it wasn't his damn fault if that monster let that missing-nin escape.

"Are you telling me that escaped from Gaara's custody?" His toned was cold. Anyone standing there right now could sense the anger rise within that man.

"Yes sir." The shinobi answered, lowering his head, normally it would be to respect their leader, but in his case, it was more to hide himself from the oncoming rage building up inside the Kazekage.

"Get him in here. Now!" He ordered, punching his desk.

"Y-Yes sir!" The shinobi complied, rushing out of the office.

The Kazekage was beyond angry, he was furious to learn the escape of the missing Leaf-nin. Gaara was one to never let his guard down, if the prisoner never obeyed, he would kill him, despite if it was an ally or an enemy.

So how In the hell did that Leaf-nin manage to escape?

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Neji and Sasuke continued on their designated path, advancing probably much faster than any other team. The area they were sent to, looked more like training grounds, only a few trees stood and some bushes.

It was much easier to track Naruto, seeing how there were no houses in the area anymore, so either the blond jumped tree by tree or he went by ground.

But to the fact they were faster, they both knew Naruto had made a run for it, and probably the only thing on his mind was escaping the Village as fast as he could, so he wouldn't give much a thought about covering his tracks.

'_Every team. Report to Kiba and Shino's location now.' Jiraiya ordered from his end, through their communications devices._

They stopped, listening for once to their devices. When Kiba first came in, reporting a trail, they didn't give any thought that he might be right. Who could trust a dog anyway? But now, it seemed that the old man believed in his words.

"We should head back to Kiba's location." Neji informed the young Uchiha.

"No." Was his answer.

"We have orders Sasuke." Neji reminded the boy.

"I know. But we should continue on this path." Sasuke informed the other boy. It was clear to anyone that he wasn't about to change his mind.

"Kiba found a trail while we found nothing. The best plan is to join up with them." He argued. Anyone with a brain would figure out that following a trail is better than to go on, on a path that so far hasn't led them anywhere.

"It could be a false lead too." Sasuke just couldn't make a good case for the Hyuga to not turn on him and drag him to the rendez-vous point.

'_Sasuke-kun do you read?' _

Only one person called him like that, and in a much annoying way too.

"What is it?" He responded, while keeping his eyes on Neji. God knew what the Hyuga could do, depending if Kakashi told him to keep an eye out for his every move and decision he made.

'_Kiba's team located a possible trail that Naruto left behind. Everyone is to regroup to their position.' She informed him from the house._

"It's an order we should follow Uchiha." Neji warned the boy, slightly glaring at him.

"Naruto might be an idiot, but he's not that stupid. I just know that whatever they found, it's not what we're really searching for." Sasuke wasn't one to usually argue too much, but he just knew that his way was the good one.

Neji eyed him. It was true that Sasuke was just about the only person beside that teacher Iruka to know Naruto well. The tricks and pranks he pulled, perhaps he recognized it.

"Sakura." He began, noticing that the young Uchiha was observing his every movement. Probably the boy knew Neji would report back. He wasn't one to break the rules after all. "Our transmission is braking up."

'_What? But-' On her side, things were pretty clear, no interference or anything._

Neji simply closed his receiver, to back up what he just said.

"Go on this frequency. We'll keep in touch, so the others won't hear our discussions. But if you do find him, switch back to the old frequency." Neji informed the pale boy.

Sasuke knew this was the only chance he was getting.

Call it a favor.

A favor that Hyuga did for him, most likely because he respected the boy, but also, because he really wanted to find Naruto, and if the others were following a false trail, at least they were still searching for him.

"You're right about one thing." Neji let out, analyzing the land for a path he could take to pursue their search.

"About?" It was rare for Neji to agree with him on anything.

"Naruto isn't the idiot everyone labeled him to be. Underneath that smile, he knows how to get out of a tough situation." He let out, before walking away from the Uchiha.

Sasuke smirked.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Everything was dark, if it wasn't for the moon, he would probably be tripping over stupid little things. But then again, who leaves stuff on their rooftops anyway?

By now, he knew too well that his previous colleagues knew that the _Naruto _at the house was nothing more than a Kage Bunshin. But at least he had a nice 15 minutes ahead of them. It wasn't much, but it was better than nothing.

"Hope I got enough time to make it out of here." He let out, jumping forward to a new house.

He couldn't exactly run down the streets, because for all he knew, the Sand-nins would help out those of Konoha. At least the rooftops kept him clear of that, at least until he found some ground to run over.

All he could hope, was that Gaara's plan would really work.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

All teams were accounted for except one, Neji and Sasuke.

"Sakura says their interference, she can't get a hold of them." Shikamaru informed the old man.

All gathered around, forming a small circle.

"From here, the trails separate in 3 ways, but since it's fresh, we can't tell which one is the right one." Kiba informed the group, Akamaru barked to only confirm his companion's words.

"He's trying to cover his tracks." Kakashi spoke, crossing his arms.

"My guess is he's doing what we did in the Chuunin exam." Shikamaru informed them. It was the only logical possibility he could think of.

"What do you mean?" Kiba wasn't quite understanding all this.

"When the Sound shinobi attacks. They were following us. I showed Sakura and Naruto how to mark a path for your enemies to follow, but to have no suspicions, we walked backwards afterwards." The newly appointed Chuunin explained.

"He tends to pick up stuff along the way, but only uses them when he needs it." Jiraiya knew his little blond student too well. Even though Naruto didn't look like it, everything that was shinobi related, his mind mesmerized it, and used it when the timing was right.

"Kiba, Shino, you continue to search on the right. Shikamaru, you're with Jiraiya. Gai, you continue straight, I won't be too far behind you." Kakashi reformed the groups, seeing how there were only 3 directions left and no longer an entire Village to search for their little blond.

"Spread out!" The old man gave out the final order.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

By the time Temari and Kankuro finally caught up to their little brother, they really wanted answers on what exactly changed in their plans. But when they were about to confront him, they noticed that they weren't alone in the living room.

"Isn't that father's …" The blond female couldn'T finish her sentence, as the dark sand shinobi stepped forward.

"The Kazekage would like to speak to you Gaara." He informed the red-head.

"Why would father wish to speak to Gaara?" Kankuro stepped in, curious, but annoyed that their dear father would summon Gaara to his personal chambers.

"He wishes to speak about the missing-nin that went, missing again." He explained like he could. Truth was, he didn't know too much to why he wanted to speak with Gaara, all he knew, is that it concerned that Leaf-nin.

"Che." Kankuro didn't like the answer too much. Anything concerning their father, and being called in his chamber, it was never good.

And each time Gaara was summoned in there, he came out, and retreated into himself even more, cutting any contact with anyone. Even them, his siblings, he ignored and if they tried to find out more, he'd threatened to kill them right where they stood.

"Gaara, maybe you shouldn't go." She whispered to her little brother, worried that what happened last time, would happen again.

Gaara was already a cold killing machine, but each visit to their father, somehow made him worse each time.

"It's ok. He probably wants to know how Naruto could have escaped while he was in my custody." Gaara spoke, showing no emotion at all.

The two siblings wanted to object to Gaara's decision, but part of them knew, that tonight, he'd come back alright for a change.

"This way Gaara." The shinobi carefully showed the way, but made sure to keep himself at a reasonable distance from the Shukaku holder.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Naruto rested a bit, catching his breath from the non-stop jumping he had been doing the past 10 minutes.

"Dammit how big is this stupid Village?" He growled.

Bending a bit forward, he rested his hands on his knees, slowing his breathing. He really couldn't wait until it was plainly boring flat ground.

He looked behind him, his eyes focusing on the spots where the moon shone mostly.

"They shouldn't be too far behind me by now." He noted. "Better get a move on."

Well rested for that moment, he continued forward, well aware that 2 small shadows were not too far behind him.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Kazekage wasn't one to usually be stressed in any situation. He was a cold man inside and out. His actions throughout his life only proved what kind of man he really was. He stopped moving, as though knowing he was no longer alone.

"You wished to see me?" The red-head spoke.

"Yes." Regaining his hard façade, he sat down behind his desk, facing the son he wouldn't acknowledge as his own.

They were never ones to speak too many words, especially to each other.

"How could the Leaf-nin escape?" He demanded an answer. No one was ever able to break free of Gaara when he was the one guarding them.

"He fooled me." He replied, standing there, never blinking his eyes. Not once.

"He fooled you?" He never expected that excuse, especially from _him_. " You're not one to be easily fooled." Now he was beginning to worry.

To this point, he usually got threatened to be killed or the boy would just walk out, but there he stood, arms crossed and unmoving.

"I know." He confirmed.

"Who is this missing-nin?" He asked, eyes focused on the red-head. Perhaps by knowing the name, he could somehow figure out what exactly was going on.

"Uzumaki Naruto." The young boy answered. He knew the name wouldn't tell him the real truth behind Naruto being a demon container like him, but just enough to spark his curiosity.

Perhaps, even frighten him a little.

"The name sounds familiar." He let out, trying to connect everything in his mind.

"He's the boy who defeated me back in Konoha." Gaara clarified for his father, well the man who was suppose to be his father anyway.

This caught him by surprise. Gaara wasn't one to be defeated thanks to his perfect defense name Shukaku, but the boy seemed no different to admit he was defeated.

"Why did you insist on being his caretaker during his stay?" He had to ask. Something wasn't right about all this.

"I needed to ask him something." He replied.

"Ask him what exactly?" To this point, he usually gave up, but for some reason, Gaara was actually answering his question and that alone worried him.

"He intrigues me." Life was usually boring for him, killing off people was the only thing that made life less boring, but when Naruto was around, life was _very_ different.

"What have you done?" The man asked, part of him was worried, perhaps even frightened by the answer he would receive.

Gaara usually never smiled, smirked, showed any signs, or even interest in life besides killing. Instead, because of the way he was treated since he was born, he always found a way to manipulate the boy indirectly into doing whatever he wanted. Now it seemed that the very same boy that stood before him, had his own sets of thoughts. In other words, Gaara followed orders, he served others, but never served himself.

Gaara smirked.

"You're the one who told me to always take what I want."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

They sprinted forward, loosing no time to pursue a fresh trail left behind by their missing teammate. Jumping from one roof to another, they could only hope that they didn't end up on a false trail as Shikamaru had previously explained.

Akamaru barked, catching his partner a bit by surprise.

"What is it Akamaru?" Kiba asked his faithful canine, his mind snapping back to reality.

The dog barked again, pointing his nose in a specific direction.

Both him and Shino stopped dead in their tracks, looking in the same direction Akamaru's nose pointed at.

"It would seem we finally found him." Shino pointed out, his eyes carefully observing the shinobi in question.

A few roofs away stood a young blond shinobi.

"Then let's warn the others." Kiba smiled, happy that he was the first one to find what they were searching for.

"Then I'll set a trap." Shino informed his teammate, bugs slowly crawling over the skin of his arms.

The bug user left without making a sound, leaving the dog lover to a simple task that any person could do without any trouble.

"Oy! This is Kiba. We found Naruto." Kiba felt proud to have found what they all searched, he expected to be thanked and complimented, but what he received, was something so very different and unexpected.

"_Kiba are you sure?" Kakashi asked from the other end of their communication devices._

"Of course I'm sure! That idiot is standing right in front of me!" He couldn't help himself. Here he thought being the hero who found their missing-nin and now they were questioning him?

"_I have a visual of our young shinobi." Gai reported to the others, totally oblivious to what was just going on. _

"_We have a problem Kakashi." Shikamaru added himself into the conversation going on, although it would be troublesome. "I also have a visual on Naruto." He informed them, knowing this was really not good to hear under the circumstances. _

"That's impossible! The idiot is standing right in front of me!" Kiba argued, waving his fists around. In situation like these, he had trouble keeping control over his tone of voice seeing how he was suppose to stay silent.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

All teams stopped dead in their tracks upon hearing how 3 separate teams had located Naruto.

So now there was only one question they all wondered.

"What the hell is going on?"

To Be Continued… 

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

**There you go, shorter than I expected, but I thought I should make it in 2 parts, or else the update would have taken a bit longer. **

**Although my free time is now limited, I'll try to update 3 stories per months. If more are updated, then it's even better.**

**I'm also trying to finish Twist of Fate and Return to me as soon as possible, since they are only a few chapters left before those stories are completed. Thus giving me a bit more time to work on the others, and hopefully update faster.**

**In any case, let me know if you're still a loyal reader of my work ;)**

Ookima 


	18. Never Underestimate a Fox : Part One

**Author's notes…**

**After over a year of not updating, I am slightly back and I apologize for the delay. I hope you enjoy the chapter, despite that I had to cut it in half.**

**Don't' forget to give out your opinions!**

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

**Chapter synopsis** : With clones on the loose, will the Leaf shinobi be able to find the true Naruto? But most importantly, can they catch him before this one escapes the country once and for all?

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

**Previously**

The Leaf-nins have finally tracked down Naruto, only problem is, they don't know which Naruto is the real one.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

**Chapter 18 : Never underestimate a fox part 1**

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Sakura monitored the situation, communications and exact position of all departed teams. Everything was going so-so until each team reported a visual contact of their missing-nin, Naruto.

"_What the hell is going on?" Kiba growled into his communication device. He was the first to report in and now every team was saying the same thing._

Sakura couldn't make out any of the voices or what they were saying. But one thing was certain, Naruto knew what he was doing.

"_Sakura, have you reached Sasuke and Neji yet?" Kakashi asked her. He was a bit worried about getting no news from both student. In addition, he knew Sasuke would be the type to pursue his own trail before advising anyone else. That was one of the reason why Neji was teamed up with him, in hopes to keep the boy in check. Apparently, that had failed._

"No, something must be interfering Kakashi-sensei." Sakura responded quickly. She sat on one of the chairs around the kitchen table, nervous about how things were turning out.

"_Every team listen up." Jiraiya spoke through his com-link, things were chaotic and now he had to turn them back to normal. "Each team, pursue your Naruto. The kid most likely made a few Kage Bunshins to throw us off guard. In order to make the difference between Bunshin and the real Naruto, you have permission to do what has to be done." He gave the last order. An order he never wanted to give._

For the next minute, silence was all anyone heard. No one expected to come to this. Now in order to know who was the real Naruto, they had to use their shuriken or kunai. If it popped in smoke, it was a bunshin, but if it bled, now they knew that it was the real Naruto.

"_Are you sure?" Shikamaru asked, he knew that the others would still be shocked by only hearing the order. This was their friend after all and now they had to wound him physically in order to capture and later help him._

Sakura leaned back in her chair, hearing the teams argue with each other and the decision of the senin.

"_Do you all understand?" Jiraiya was not one that like to repeat himself._

"_Understood." They all reluctantly replied. _

"I'll keep you updated on how things are progressing…" Sakura pitched in, still shocked at how the events surrounding Naruto seem to only get worse.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

For the first time in his life, Gaara managed to shock his own father. For years, his father had certain control over his action. He only needed to throw the boy on people he wanted kill and that kept him in check. Gaara never asked for anything else than to be able to kill to sooth Shukaku and himself. But now, the boy was actually interested in a person and no one would stop him from learning, understanding and experiencing whatever it was.

"How did it go?" Kankuro asked, sitting on a log beside his sister.

Temari and Kankuro were always nearby whenever Gaara was summoned by their father. It was something they began since they were but children.

"He knows." It was the only reply they got from their little brother.

Temari raised an eyebrow. Gaara was one to rarely give a detailed answer.

"He knows what?" She asked, leaning on her big fan.

"To not cross me when it comes to Naruto."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

After hearing their orders, Shino and Kiba exchanged worried looks. They knew now that they had to engage in battle, but attacking and purposely injuring a friend, is never easy.

"You got a plan?" Kiba asked his partner. Although Shino was the **_very_** silent type, he always had good battle plans. One that would be less harming to Naruto then what he had in mind.

"Block his way, and I'll confirm his true identity." He spoke no more words than he had to.

Kiba looked down at his companion who was currently keeping an eye on the figure ahead of them. The form had stopped moving and perched itself on the ledge of a roof.

"Ready to go boy!" The boy asked his four legged companion. His only response was a small bark, loud enough for his master to hear but low enough so Naruto wouldn't.

Akamaru jumped on top of Kiba,s head, attaching himself as good as he could while his master jumped down. He roamed the dark streets until he was standing right below the same building where Naruto stood.

"Yo!" Kiba yelled up high, waving his hands. He wanted nothing more than to get the boy's attention, distracting him from whatever Shino was planning.

With all the barking and the yells, Naruto turned his attention below, where he saw something he really didn't want to see.

"Dammit…" He cursed. They had already tracked him down that quickly? And he thought he had at least half an hour start on them. Then again, Akamaru was known to track down people very quickly.

Judging how dog boy was below, Naruto felt best to flee while he could. He quickly gathered chakra to his feet to jump as far as possible to give him the upper hand. Unfortunately, he never thought that the dog would actually block his passage.

"Get out of my way you stupid dog!" He tried his best to push the dog out of his way, but failed miserably.

What happened to be a small dog, quickly grew into a much bigger dog, something Naruto had not expected at all. Now that Akamaru was of the boy's size and forced him to jump backwards. Back to the very rooftop he was trying to leave.

Trying to regain his standing form, he noticed how Kiba quickly joined up with his companion, and now he was stuck with 2 of them to face.

"I beat you once during the Chuunin exam. Or didn't you get enough?" He teased, looking straight into those brown eyes. He didn't particularly hate him or Akamaru, it's just that he didn't need any more crap from Konoha Village and their fellow residents.

"You got lucky that time!" Kiba shouted back, doing his very best to distract the blond.

While insults were being shot back and forth, the boy was unaware of the thousands of bug creeping, crawling behind him. Slowly they took possession of his feet, making him unable to move. Then they made their way up and to this point, it didn't go unnoticed by the blond.

"What the..?" Naruto panicked. He couldn't move his legs anymore. He looked down and then it clicked. Bugs. Thousands of them. And that could only mean one thing. Shino was here too.

"Don't fight it." Shino spoke, appearing behind his captive.

"Nice plan buddy." Kiba prepared his kunai and put Naruto to the ultimate test.

"Aren't you suppose to bring me back alive?" Naruto asked, his eyes focusing on the kunai at all times. God knew how painful it could be to be stabbed with one of those, especially in the hand.

"We are aware that you made bunshins to throw us off track. This way, we know if you're the real Naruto." Shino made a short explanation.

The bugs now paralyzing his entire bidy, except for his head, Naruto was at the mercy of his former comrades. Kiba slowly approached his friend, and picked the right spot to stab.

His hand.

A kage bunshin would explode on impact of any object piercing the body, or even being thrown against an object.

The other possibility, well, at least his hand would be the only thing wounded.

"Come on this ain't funny you guys." Naruto said, panicking at the sight of the kunai approaching more and more his hand.

Kiba stabbed the boy's hand, and now they waited for the results.

Blood or smoke?

"Dammit!" Naruto shouted, he was angry. Angry that he was found out so soon.

The bugs all dropped to the floor.

Both Shino and Kiba looked down at the remains.

"Guess we got the bunshin after all." Kiba confirmed, putting back his kunai in his pouch.

"I'll report it in." Shino informed the boy, while his bugs gathered back to him.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

They were but minutes away before making contact with their Naruto, but when Shino reported back, Gai had to stop in order to listen carefully. After all, they could have just found the real Naruto.

"Kakashi! Report is coming." He waved to his rival in his clad green suit.

"Hai, hai." Kakashi replied, landing next to the man. Sometimes, he found himself humiliated just being next to the man.

"_We got a bunshin on our side." Shino reported the incident to all the other teams. _

"That only leaves 3 teams now." Gai said after hearing the report.

"Let's hope we have the real one then." Kakashi let out, jumping ahead. He needed to have a serious talk with each member of team 7 when this will be all over.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"_Sasuke. Kiba's team got a bunshin. That only leaves 3 teams." Neji informed the Uchiha over the communication device. The young Hyuga was going back and forth on channels to be up-to-date with what was going on._

"What a surprise." Sasuke shot back, concentrating on the fresh tracks he had just found.

Despite his too many goofy moments when they were together as a team, Sasuke noticed how Naruto, when the moment called for it, knew how to use that brain of his.

"I'm getting closer…" He whispered in the wind.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

They stopped for a moment.

Shikamaru wanted to be sure they weren't being thrown on the wrong pass again.

"You done yet?" Jiraiya asked, a bit annoyed of taking time to analyze everything. He really wanted to find Naruto. Fast.

"He's here." Shikamaru stated, getting back up on his feet. He barely had time to continue with his phrase when multiple kunai were thrown their way.

Jiraiya quickly moved in front of the Chuunin, making several hand signs before tapping the ground with them. A wall of mud spurted from the ground, creating a safe thick wall to block the attack.

"Why can't you leave me alone!" Naruto shouted from his rooftop, ready to send another wave of weapons.

"Naruto! Stop this now!" The old man ordered, his wall of mud crumbling down at his feet.

Naruto grinned.

"Make me." He dared them, unleashing his second wave of attack.

Jiraiya was not happy with the situation. He knew that it would call for a confrontation but he didn't think Naruto would attack head-on.

"Leave it to me." Shikamaru whispered.

Things were about to heat up.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

He had finally caught up with his student, but things were far from doing ok. They tried the talking approach, and it failed miserably, but now Kakashi managed to corner Naruto, and this time , the boy had no escape, either it was up, left, right or down. His only way out was straight ahead and that's where Kakashi and Gai stood.

"There's no where else to go Naruto." Kakashi used a much softer voice, hoping that the boy would finally calm down.

"Naruto-kun, it would be best to calm down and come with us." Gai said to him with a smile. He knew how serious the situation was, but he was doing his best trying to calm the boy down.

"No chance in hell I'm going back to that damn place." Naruto informed them, using his mouth to distract them while he reached behind for a weapon. "So you better back off and leave me alone unless you want me to tap into Kyubi's chakra."

Hearing that threat, Kakashi knew that now things were going to get harder. So now, he had to stop being soft on the boy, and be hard, just like he was with Sasuke after his encounter with Itachi.

Before Naruto could even prepare for his attack, the copy-cat shinobi was already behind his student. The kunai Naruto held, was now pressed against his throat, while his other arm was twisted behind his back. Kakashi had the upper hand this time, but what happened next, he didn't expect at all.

Naruto laughed.

"What's so funny?" Gai asked, not understanding at all why the boy would laugh when it was obvious he had lost the battle.

Unlike Gai, Kakashi now understood why the boy laughed.

"He's a bunshin." Kakashi told the other Jounin. Striking the boy with his own kunai.

The bunshin Naruto simply vanished from Kakashi's grip, to only prove him right.

"This is not good." Gai let out, knowing that only 2 teams were left, and they had lost contact with one of them.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

After a cat and mouse race, and thanks to the darkness, Shikamaru was able to expand his shadow to immobilize their target, Naruto.

"Good job boy." The old man congratulated him.

He headed for the boy, and knew what had to be done. In order to travel back safely to their Village, he would have to seal temporarily Kyubi's chakra.

"How long can you hold?" He asked the Chuunin.

"Ten minutes. But try not to take that much time." Shikamaru informed him. He really didn't want to hold him longer then he had to.

"_Jiraiya-sama! We had no luck on our side." Gai reported, before continuing. "We're heading your way and should be there in 15 minutes."_

Jiraiya wanted nothing more than to curse. Now the only possibility were that he had Naruto, or it was Sasuke's team that had him. And he prayed that it wasn't the Uchiha who had him. God knew what would happen if those two went at it. Chidori versus Rasengan. Another incident just like the hospital's rooftop. An incident that didn't need to be repeated.

"Don't take this the wrong way Naruto, but I have to make sure to seal him off for now." He told the blond, unzipping his jacket. Revealing the light tanned skin of Naruto's chest.

A sight Shikamaru would have preferred not to have seen. But then he couldn't take his eyes off the boy.

Naruto was tapping in his chakra, but it wasn't enough, he needed more in hopes to break Shikamaru's jutsu. And for that, he needed Kyubi's. The moment he began tapping into it, the seal appeared around his naval, a sign Jiraiya didn't want to see at the moment.

"Shikamaru. What you see here, stays between us. Is that clear?" Jiraiya was dead serious. Shikamaru felt it. Whatever that seal was, no one wanted the others to know about it.

"Yeah…" Shikamaru was rarely taken off guard, but seeing a seal appear like that, wasn't something you saw every day. And he knew that those kinds of seal were used only when necessary. What secret did the boy have?

Jiraiya knew that later he would need to explain himself to the young Chuunin. After all, Asuma had made it clear that you give only a small clue to Shikamaru and he'll be able to figure things out… But for now, what mattered was sealing Kyubi's chakra. He brought his hands together to perform multiple hand signs, but then he was interrupted.

"Something's wrong…" Shikamaru was almost trembling. His shadow was having problems hanging and controlling Naruto.

Naruto's form, began to move slowly, thanks to some help from that fox tenant of his.

"Dammit!" The old man cursed. He needed more time to finish the proper signs, but couldn't. He settle for the next best thing.

He punched Naruto right in the stomach. By immediately doing so, Shikamaru felt it as well. The blond crumbled to his knees, gripping the very arm that had just hit him.

"Only one left…" Naruto whispered, before disappearing before the Senin's very eyes.

"Oh no…" He was shocked. He was so sure that he had the real Naruto, but he was tricked. And tricked perfectly. Since when was Naruto that good at doing his Kage Bunshing anyway?

"This is not good. That means Sasuke and Neji are tracking the real one." Shikamaru let out, resting on his ass. Just immobilizing that kage bunshin took a lot of his energy. He could only imagine if it would have been the real one.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

As agreed, Sasuke turned back his communication device to the right channel. So far, all teams ended up tracing bunshins, now only 2 options remained, himself and Neji.

"_Neji reporting in. I ended up with a bunshin as well." He reported in, knowing that the news couldn't be too good._

"_Then that means we lost him!" Kiba yelled at his end._

"_There's one lead left." Neji corrected. The moment he would continue on with who was tracing the last lead, he could already predict their reactions._

Sasuke smirked.

He knew Neji was about to reveal him as the person tracking Naruto. But that didn't matter, one way or another he was going to stop Naruto from escaping.

He jumped ahead, not once loosing site of his former teammate. And now was the time to act. He quickly reached for his back pouch for a handful of shurikens. The shurikens flew straight down to Naruto's running form, giving him the distraction he need to land ahead of the blond, blocking his way out of the village.

"What the…?" Naruto barely had time to register what was happening when multiple shurikens came raining down on him. "Kuso!" The blond cursed, instinctively reaching for his back pouch.

Standing his ground, he deflected most of the shurikens, but one manage to hit him in the left leg. Before he could properly take care of it, his attention was required in front of him, where an old rival stood.

"I made contact and I confirm." Sasuke talked into his device, his eyes focused on the blond. "I've located the real Naruto."

Naruto grabbed the shuriken embedded in his leg, first removing it and then he threw it at Sasuke's feet.

"Get out of my way." The blond nearly growled.

"No." Came the cold answer.

To Be Continued 

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

**There you go, shorter than I expected, but I thought I should make it in 2 parts, or else the update would have taken a bit longer. In addition, I thought you guys waited long enough for an update ;)**

**In any case, let me know if you're still a loyal reader of my work ;)**

Ookima 


End file.
